


To Live and Let Go

by Lorraineee



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Multi, and multiple points of view yay, fluff probably, oh and angst lots of that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-04 02:39:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorraineee/pseuds/Lorraineee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The crew of the Argo II are collecting themselves, preparing for what will probably be the biggest battle of their lives. They will be lucky if any of their haphazard plans come together at all, and even then, the threat they face against Gaea and her army is practically insurmountable. </p>
<p>Things have never been easy for the Seven. But they're about to get harder than they've ever been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I literally have no time to write this fanfic, but after House of Hades the characters of this story just absolutely refused to leave me alone, so yeah. I started writing. Updates will probably be sort of frequent, but I'm not sure if they're going to be regular. 
> 
> Also, this fic is totally for my own enjoyment. I decided I have no patience to wait for Blood of Olympus, and either way there's not going to be nearly enough angst (no, Rick, that is not a challenge). Sorry if it's hastily done and also just unbearably cheesy sometimes - half the time I'm writing this knowing I have a heck ton of stuff to do.
> 
> (oh, yeah, and disclaimer - there'll probably be language and stuff so if you're not into that, well, sorry. I cannot imagine being in one of these guys' place and not cussing like, every other word. Yeah. I'll try not to use too much)

The day Leo smashed his hand was the day everything went wrong.

Life aboard the Argo II was usually pretty quiet, and today was no exception. Annabeth and Percy were sleeping belowdecks (actually, that was all they ever seemed to do anymore since they returned from Tartarus. The crew didn't argue; they figured they'd earned the right to nap as much as they wanted), Hazel and Frank were in the bow, grinning goofily at each other and enjoying the down time leaning against the fore mast. Piper and Jason were somewhere doing couple things down below.

Ugh. Okay. Not like that. Well, maybe like that. Leo didn't really know. He didn't really care to find out, either. Eurgh.

And Leo - well, Leo was doing what he was always doing: tinkering. At the moment, he was constructing a rigging platform for his Archimedes Sphere so he could tinker with it a bit more easily. It had seemed simple enough at first to build, but Leo hadn't factored in a few things in his excitement. First, that spheres roll off of flat platforms. Second, that most things that would help stabilize the sphere on the platform would also restrict Leo's access to the machine. Third, that he didn't actually need the platform, but now that it proved to be a bigger challenge than he originally thought, he was determined to get it done.

It was really frustrating. Leo looked down to find that, in his frustration, he had ignited his palm so that a big gooshy dent had appeared in the middle of the platform. Leo grumbled.

He waited for the metal to cool off, then grabbed a hammer, ready to whack the damn thing as long as it took to get it perfectly straight so Leo could work it again from scratch.

He brought the hammer down carelessly, distracted at the last moment by a loud pealing laugh from the bow, and the hammer came down full force on Leo's outstretched index finger, sending jarring, immediate pain down his left hand.

Leo stopped, dropped the hammer, and stared at his finger in shock. He didn't smash his appendages often, and when he did, it usually wasn't this bad. He'd been so off-kilter lately, ever since Calypso.

But Leo wasn't really thinking about that. By the time the pain got to his brain, combined with the picture of a split fingernail and gushing blood, he was already howling.

"Oh, gods! Fucking - oh fucking shit. Ahh! Fuck! Fuck!" Leo leapt around like a madman, waving his hand, which had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now only succeeded in making him feel like his hand was going to fall off.

He heard a gasp from the bow through his red-stained daze of pain. "Leo!" He could just see Hazel fanning herself, embarrassed by Leo's profanity.

"I - can't - sorry - shit -" Leo gritted his teeth and gingerly cradled his hand, which was throbbing and still, unfortunately, gushing blood.

Hazel came around the wide mast, still fanning herself. She almost did faint when she caught sight of Leo, who, Leo admitted, probably didn't look too great.

Still, he was offended when she shrieked and sat down, like the injury was incapacitating her. Frank ran to his girlfriend, who looked very green (again, Leo was a little offended).

"Dude, you okay?!" Frank patted Hazel on the head a little awkwardly and jogged over to Leo, now seated weakly on a wooden crate. Leo held out his hand.

Frank winced, but took it in his hand to examine it. Compared to Frank's uninjured fingers, Leo's hand didn't really resemble a hand anymore. Raw hamburger stuck with cheese sticks and a sausage would have been a more appropriate description. Frank gagged a little.

"Shit, shit, look at my fucking hand!" Leo ripped it away from Frank, who tried to calm him.

"It's fine! Just broken! We just need to-"

"What's going on up h - Jesus." Percy had emerged from belowdecks. "Where'd all this blood come from?!"

"Me, asshole!" Leo shrieked, panicking, mostly because it had been like two minutes since he shattered his finger and no one had given him any pain relievers yet.

"Woah!" Annabeth came on deck shortly after Percy, apparently attracted to the sound of agonized screaming. "Gods, where'd all this come from?"

Leo made a loud, frustrated noise as Percy calmly told her, "Leo".

Frank still hovered near Leo, hesitant to do anything.

After a long pause, punctuated only by Leo's complaining moans, Annabeth finally said the first sensible thing Leo heard.

"Well, where's the ambrosia?"

Leo wanted to kiss her. He figured that might not go over so well with Percy, though, so he just smiled at her gratefully. "Get me some. Like now," he commanded, and Frank ran off in search of ambrosia and nectar.

Meanwhile, Annabeth examined Leo's finger. "This is pretty bad - what did you even do?"

"Hammered it - gahh!" Leo winced as Annabeth applied pressure along the length of the finger.

"Sorry. Well, we'll get you fixed up in no time. For now -" she paused to bend down for the first aid kit Hazel had dug out of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. "We'll splint and tape it. Keep it stable. And I'll need to clean that," she added, nodding at the split in Leo's fingernail that was still oozing blood and gross stuff.

Leo didn't trust himself to respond.

\---

After what felt like an hour, Frank returned. "Sorry I'm so late," he apologized, "it's just - I looked everywhere. This is all we had."

Frank held out a plastic sandwich bag, which could have easily held ten squares of ambrosia. Now it only had about half a square.

"What?" Piper stepped forward, brow furrowed. "No, we packed like, eighteen of those bags. We basically depleted the camp stores. We can't be out."

"I looked everywhere."

"You can't have. Did you check under that loose floor board on deck two?"

"Yeah. I checked everywhere."

Piper opened her mouth again to speak, but Frank interrupted her. "Everywhere."

Leo felt his heart sink. "Well, I don't need it that bad."

Jason raised an eyebrow (how did he even do that?!) and said, "dude, like five minutes ago you were screaming. Not to mention your finger looks like it's been through a meat processor."

Leo figured he should grow a pair and suck it up. He would never forgive himself if someone else got really hurt and couldn’t get any ambrosia because he had greedily sucked up the last of it for a finger.

“Guys, it’s just a finger. I’m good. We’ll wrap it up. I’ll live. Besides, if someone really needed it, I don’t want to take it.” He tried not to wince at the thought of operating the controls with a smashed appendage. 

He had not optimized those for an injured operator. 

“Leo, take it. We’ll be in Athens soon. We just have to steer clear of danger until then, then stock up when we get there. There have got to be places to get ambrosia there, I’m sure of it.” Piper looked concerned, which Leo appreciated. 

“No, guys, I can’t. What if -”

Annabeth, still kneeling in front of Leo, caught his eye. “You can’t control the ship without both your hands. None of us can do it ourselves. Take it, and get us to Athens faster. Do what you can to keep us out of danger. Sound good?”

Leo bit the inside of his cheek. Gods, it was tempting. His entire arm, even his shoulder, ached like his blood was laced with poison. But, still. What if he failed? What if someone got hurt? From now on, any injuries and the results thereof would be his fault. He didn’t know if he could live with that. It was his worst fear.  
  
He closed his eyes and weighed his options. 

“Leo, we all want you to take it. Okay? Please. Nobody is going to blame you for anything.” Leo jolted. It was as if Percy had been reading his mind.  
  
Leo sighed. “Fine.” He really wanted it. He hated pain. At the moment, his pain outweighed the potential guilt. But even as he chewed it (tasted like his mom’s homemade mole), he felt a bitter dread settle in his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first in a long series of less-than-desirable events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter is really corny. Anywho, I decided I'm going to update on Wednesdays, which is tomorrow. But I'm busy tomorrow. So from next Wednesday on you'll (probably) get a chapter weekly. (probably)
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is unbearably cheesy and angst-filled. And badly written. I have all these things all plotted out and I wrote this chapter with upcoming plot events in mind, not continuity or quality. Pshh. Who needs that.

Jason was stressed out. 

He was a worrier – had always been one – and this particular situation was kind of a recipe for disaster. So much was riding on three pretty unstable people. Despite the reassurances from Nico and Reyna that nothing could possibly go wrong, it was still pretty easy to see where things could take a bad turn. Hedge would be busy worrying about his wife and baby, and Nico wasn’t exactly a picture of good mental health.

And then there was Reyna. He had seen that look she shot him – carefully guarded, but he could see the betrayal in her eyes when he didn’t immediately volunteer to go with her. It made sense for him to stay behind, but really, if he had been a true friend, he would have shown a little more concern. Jason got that. But he just didn't feel anything for Reyna. Maybe if the circumstances had been different, maybe if Juno – Hera, whatever – hadn’t wiped his memory and sent him to an enemy camp, maybe then he could have fallen in love with Reyna. He could have reciprocated her feelings. He wanted to. He could easily see himself settling down with her in New Rome once all of this was over. He just had to close his eyes, and there, in the front of his mind like a movie, played the future he could have, the future he should have. And not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Jason had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from sending silent, furious curses at the gods.

Who gave a shit if the world was ending? Who cared if everything had to perish and burn? 

Why couldn’t Jason just watch it happen like everyone else, in the arms of someone he loved, powerless and frightened, but content?

Why was it up to him? Seven teenagers couldn’t save the world. All Gaea had to do was snap her fingers, and the Argo II would collapse in on itself, crushing everyone inside. So why were they still alive? It made no sense. And yet, Jason was grateful. He was glad to be alive.

“Jason? Hey, buddy, you still with us?” Jason jumped. Percy was waving his hand in front of Jason’s face. Jason blinked. Everyone had gone back to their leisure time. 

Piper had disappeared once again, saying she’d check Katoptris and see if it would show her anything that could be of use. Jason figured everyone would just leave him alone. 

“Yeah?” Jason’s voice sounded scratchy, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “What do you need?”

Percy held out a hand to help him up. “Leo needs your help real quick. You’re not busy, are you?”

Jason shook his head. “No.” He grabbed Percy’s forearm and stood, feeling a little queasy. 

Percy pulled him up, but didn’t let go of Jason’s arm once he was standing. Instead, he squinted at Jason. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little green, dude.” 

Jason cleared his throat again. “Nah, I’m fine. Just feeling like…” He glanced around. “Like, it’s hard to describe. Kind of paranoid, I guess. I’ve got this feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something’s going to go wrong.” He stared anxiously at Percy, wondering if he was just being stupid.

Percy furrowed his brow, chewing on his lip. “Huh. Weird.”

“What?” Jason felt his stomach clench.

“Just… I don't know. I guess that's never really a good sign.” His friend suddenly looked like he’d aged ten years.

“No,” Jason agreed. “But it’s probably nothing. We’ve all been under a lot of stress lately. I’ll check on Piper, see if she’s seen anything. But first, what was it that Leo needed help with?”

“Oh, yeah. He just needs you to fly up to the top of the mast and tweak some of the rigging. It’s been acting up, apparently.” 

“Acting up?” Jason raised an eyebrow. It was an odd choice of words.

Percy snorted. “His words, not mine. I think Leo forgets that his machines aren’t actually his kids.”

Jason grinned. The feeling didn’t go away, not really, but it was easier to focus on other things instead of dwelling on the pit opening up in his gut.

\----

Leo was hanging precariously off some rope attached to the mast that seemed to be the only thing holding the rest of the rigging together. His left hand was tucked up toward the base of his ribs, still looking a little tender. When he saw Jason and Percy approaching, he swung down to the deck, reminding Jason of a chimpanzee, and landed neatly on his feet, despite having only used one hand to complete the maneuver.

“Alright, aviator boy, I would scurry up there myself but unfortunately it’s been two hours and my hand is not showing any signs of healing, so I need you to zip up there and thread this line-” Leo handed Jason a thick, splintery rope – “Through that golden loop up there, then bring it down to me. You’ll get your next order when you’re done.”

Jason nodded. Easy enough, he figured. Leo took a step back, legs spread shoulder-width apart, and crossed his arms, watching Jason like he was keeping tabs. Jason knew Leo didn’t trust him around the more delicate workings of his precious ship. 

Jason raised his arms, willing the winds to work around him. He wasn’t sure quite how it worked, but he was comfortable with it. It made sense to him. It was like he was flexing a muscle outside of him, like he didn’t really have to think about what he needed to do, just needed to ask it to happen and it did. Sometimes he didn’t even have to think about what he was doing – it just happened, and usually to his benefit. Like the air and the winds was a kind of extension of his body. 

He watched the little strands of air move and bend to his will, just barely visible to him like always, and felt a kind of tugging in his gut, just in front of his spine. Then his feet lifted off the ground and he rose a few inches. He still felt a little uncomfortable performing what felt like magic tricks in front of his friends, who watched him with expressions of awe. These being the same friends who could control the oceans and light himself on fire, Jason noted, slightly annoyed. 

The winds lifted Jason above the entire ship, until he could see everything on deck. Even now, as he surveyed his friends, his gut twisted, and he was almost overwhelmed by a sense of impending dread. He forced himself to swallow, focus, and not fall to his death. Jason approached his target, trying to ignore the feeling that his stomach was trying to escape his body. Without really noticing what he was doing, Jason had the rope through the loop in no time. He was just about to return to where Leo was waiting when he heard a bloodcurdling scream from below.

\---

Jason almost fell out of the air. 

He was able to use the winds as a kind of emergency buffer as he felt himself dropping, but it was still a close call. By the time he had landed, there was an awful lot of shouting going on, and even with such a large space, it was amazing the amount of confusion six people could make. Jason could hear shouts from the bow, but none of them made much sense. He caught the words “blood”, “help”, and an awful lot of cursing, but they didn’t connect until Jason ran to the front of the thick aft mast. There, half in the shadows, half out, was a person, but not one he recognized, at least not right away. 

At first, all he could see was blood and a frenzy of people. Piper brushed past him, hands covered in blood, and Frank knelt next to Hazel as she shouted instructions at Annabeth, who stood to the side, looking confused and shocked. And suddenly, though pieces of information still weren't connecting, Jason’s brain kicked into overdrive and several things happened at once: he shouted his friend’s name, grabbed a few bandages and a towel from Piper, who was returning from belowdecks, arms full, and went to help Hazel care for her brother.

Percy pushed through the crowd, Leo in tow, both of whom stopped short when they caught sight of Nico, and, more importantly, the endless blood that seemed to be streaming from his side. Someone yelled for ambrosia, and Jason watched Leo wince. 

Annabeth seemed to have snapped out of her shocked daze, and Jason felt her hands grab for some the gauze he was holding. He blindly followed Hazel’s orders, not stopping when she smacked him on the top of the head.

“Pressure, Jason, you need to apply pressure. Leo, get over here, I need you. Annabeth – good – Frank! Stop that, you’re not helping. What have you got there?”  
Jason looked up and saw Frank slowly backing up, holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. He looked stricken. Jason’s heart was pounding. “What, Frank? What is it?”

Frank looked up, still wearing an expression of terror. All the flush that adrenaline had left in his cheeks drained. “Uhh – nothing --” 

“Jason!” Hazel sounded like she was losing her grip. Percy, Leo and Piper fluttered helplessly around the edges of the action, trying to find a way to be helpful but not get in the way. 

Jason pressed harder, trying to maintain his own fragile hold on reality. Nico was very pale, the circles under his eyes darker than Jason had ever seen, and stark against the startling white of his skin. 

"What even happened? Where did he come from?" Jason was still trying to register the situation, but it was all so confusing.

Hazel shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. It all happened so fast."

“What do we do?” Jason looked up again, this time right at Hazel. 

“I don’t know. I think we should stay here until the bleeding slows down, then move him.” Hazel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “He’s going to be fine. It’ll be fine.” It sounded like she was reassuring herself more than Jason. 

Jason tried to do the same, but he felt like the seven of them were way over their heads with this one. Forget saving the world, where one casualty is just one of thousands. When it came to saving just one life, just one, none of them even knew where to begin. They had mostly relied on ambrosia and fervent - if not somewhat sarcastic - prayer to save their own hides and the lives of the people they liked the most, if they remembered to spare a moment for them too. 

A wave of utter despair washed over him, and for a moment, it was almost as if everyone else felt it too. Then Hazel shook her head again, this time as if to clear it, shot Jason a stern look, and adopted an expression of determination Jason had never seen on her before. 

She was going to save her brother. Jason nodded, and a kind of unspoken agreement passed between them. Jason resumed his job. Eventually Jason removed his towel from Nico’s side, and no fresh blood streamed from the wound, even when he took another shallow breath. Hazel smiled. 

Behind Jason, someone sat down. Everyone but he and Hazel stood in a protective half circle around the grisly scene. Only Leo had left to twiddle the controls and “keep lookout”, as he had mumbled. Even then, he kept throwing hurried glances behind him from the bow. Night was falling and cold was setting in. Jason was about to suggest they move Nico, or at least get some blankets, when Hazel spoke.

“I think we should try to get him to the sickbay.”

Jason nodded, relieved. His back was starting to ache from bending over, and Nico wasn’t looking much better, even now that the bleeding had stopped. With his thick aviator jacket gone and his thin t-shirt stuck to him with dried blood, he looked particularly fragile. “We have to be careful not to open it back up.”

“I can go get a stretcher from the sickbay,” Percy volunteered. Jason nodded. 

“I’ll go with you,” Frank offered, and hurried after Percy. Jason wondered if his hasty escape had anything to do with that crumpled up piece of paper. 

\---

An hour later, Jason was alone in the galley. 

His head rested in his hands, his elbows on the table. He felt tired and ill, but knew that sleep would be hard to find tonight. He sighed, and it sounded wearier than   
he had intended.

A knock came at the door. Jason didn’t look up, just grunted. He heard the hinges squeak a little as the door swung open. A chair on the other side of the table pulled out and moved back in. Jason could tell from the shoes that it was Percy.

“Some day, huh?”

Jason snorted, because it was easier than collapsing onto the hardwood floor. “I’m pretty sure I’m in shock.”

“I’m pretty sure most of us are,” Percy offered. 

“Yeah, that’s true.”

The two sat in silence for a while. It seemed to Jason like Percy was hesitating to speak. 

Finally, Percy drew in a deep breath. Jason tensed up a bit, knowing he was about to hear something he didn’t want to. 

“Listen. This whole thing with Nico… well, it left me wondering what had happened with Hedge and Reyna. Not to mention the Parthenos.”

Jason looked up, feeling his stomach drop. In all the fear and excitement, he had totally forgotten Nico’s companions. Now there was a new kind of dread, not as pronounced as before, but more like the dread of the unknown.

“I was talking to Frank about it, because he seemed a little on edge, and, well, he gave me this.” Percy held out his hand. Inside was a brown, crumpled note that looked like it had been inside someone’s pocket for a while. 

“He found it in Nico’s hand. I think Nico wanted us to find it.”

Jason opened the paper with shaking hands. He didn’t try to stop the obvious trembling in his fingers as he read the words. Once, then two times, five times. Over and over. Four words and a name, hastily scrawled with a magic marker, that brought bile up from Jason’s stomach. 

‘We forgive you. Go.  
-Reyna'

Jason took a deep breath and pushed the note away from him. Percy didn’t touch it, just stared at it like it was poisonous. 

“What does it mean?”

Percy shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine, but…”

He didn’t have to finish. It almost sounded like a parting note. Last words. Instructions to live while another died.

“We don’t know if that’s Nico’s blood or not on the back. Probably. But, you know.”

Jason swallowed. “Have you tried – what’s that called – I’Ming them?”

“Yes.” Percy briefly made eye contact with Jason, then looked down.

“And?” Jason demanded.

“Nothing. It failed to go through. I even tried using Fleecy.”

“What?”

Percy shook his head. “Not important. The point is, the message wouldn’t go through.”

Jason was silent for a while. “I’m trying not to assume the worst here.” He took his head out of his hands. “Do you think I should?”

Percy bit his lip. “I don’t know.”

Another silence cut through the air while Jason listened to the humming of the white noise.

“Do you feel okay? I know you and Reyna have a… past.” Percy refused to even look at Jason.

“We were – we’re friends. Maybe – maybe if things had been different – I just…” Jason trailed off. 

Percy cleared his throat. Jason stared at the floor, a terrible buzzing in his ears. He felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. It was hard to catch a breath.   
Finally Jason found words. Maybe that was the wrong word. He forced the words out of the air, desperate for something else to say. “When you were at the camp… did you and Reyna ever… talk? Like, were you friends?”

Percy kept staring at the table, chin cupped in his palm, elbow on the table. “Yeah. We talked. I guess we became friends. Yeah. We’re friends.”

Jason nodded. He didn’t feel protective or jealous, as he might have before. He was just glad that he wasn’t the only one worried out of his mind. “I don’t want to think about what happened to them. Do you think someone sabotaged them? Hedge --”

He stopped himself. “His wife. What are we gonna do?” His voice sounded bleak, even to him. 

Percy chewed on his lip. “Not think about it, I guess. Not until we have to. When Nico wakes up, he can tell us everything.”

“If he ever does wake up,” Jason muttered. The full weight of their problem was just starting to set in.

“Don’t. Just, don’t. Okay?” 

Jason didn’t reply. 

“What do you think happened with the Parthenos?”

Jason shrugged. “Either it was destroyed, or they did something clever with it.”

“It needs to get to Camp Half-Blood.”

“I know.”

“Soon.”

“I know.”

Neither of them spoke for a long time. 

Then, out of the blue, Percy slammed his hand on the table. “Damn it!” His teeth were clenched, and it sounded like he was trying to stay quiet.

“Jesus. What?”

“I just… we can’t do everything. I thought we were doing so well. But how the hell do they expect seven teenagers to – to save the universe?” Percy spluttered and stood up. His chair skittered out behind him. “Why do we even care?! What has the world ever done for us except fuck up our lives? It’s – it’s ridiculous!” With this, he slumped back down into his chair, arms hooked over the back, looking too exhausted to be angry. 

Jason blinked. Hadn’t those been his thoughts just a few hours ago? “I know.”

“Do you, Jason? Do you know? Cause it seems like no one else on this damned ship does.”

Jason bit his cheek, unsure of what to say. Should he profess his own despair? Try to comfort Percy? Somehow neither option seemed good enough. He stayed quiet.

“I’m going to go check on Hazel.” Percy stood once again and left the room, and Jason was alone once again with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you can forgive me for that one. Um. Stayed tuned, I guess? 
> 
> And seriously, even if you hated it, thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the demigods get their shit together and make plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like filler... and it pretty much is. Sorry. The next chapter is much more eventful.
> 
> **Quick note! This chapter switches point of views from Percy to Leo halfway through, so don't get confused -- I'll throw in an extra line of blank space right before to warn you.

Percy found Hazel in the sickbay, gingerly washing blood off her brother’s face.

At the sight of Nico, thin and pale, barely hidden under a thin sheet, all of Percy’s rage melted. He had to admit, some of it had been directed at Nico. But he couldn’t blame Nico for what had happened. That was a near-fatal stab wound on his side, so he had obviously put up some sort of fight. 

“How is he?” 

Hazel spoke in a whisper. “Better, I think, but I don’t want to give him any more blankets until I’m sure his wound isn’t going to reopen. I just feel bad because he’s so cold.”

Percy felt his shoulders slump, and in the quiet of the infirmary, with nothing but soft breaths as white noise, he felt the last of the day’s adrenaline leave him. He was so tired.

Percy sat in the chair opposite Hazel, on Nico’s left side. He felt the golden glow of the lamps penetrate his thoughts and let himself sleep, unable to think or feel.

\---

He was awoken by the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. 

He opened one eye to see Hazel slowly rising from her seat, gingerly folding a bloody towel under the basin of dirty water. 

“I’m going to get a fresh towel. Would you watch him?”

Percy nodded, then sat up. He felt as if he had slept a few thousand years, but he wasn’t refreshed. Just heavy. More light filtered in through the door and Percy could tell he had slept through the night at least. Possibly longer. Daylight shone in and he had to blink it away. 

Nico looked even more frail and sallow in the stark light. His shallow breaths stirred the dust motes around his head, barely visible.

Percy felt a twinge of frustration looking at his friend. _‘What happened, Nico? Wake up. Fight it. Tell me.’_

It was probably selfish of him, wanting Nico to wake up just so Percy could satisfy his curiosity. He’d probably be in a lot of pain, and since they had no ambrosia to give him, there would be no way to make it stop. No, the best thing to do for his friend would be to care for him until they could get to the mainland and restock. For now, the best anyone could do was wait.

Percy shivered. It was far from cold in the infirmary, but Percy felt… weird. Like things weren’t going to end well. Usually premonitions like this would be brushed off – demigods had all sorts of weird dreams – but in light of recent events it was impossible to ignore. 

However, there was nothing that could be done at that moment. Percy sat in his hard-backed chair, fingers on his temples, until Hazel came back with clean linens. 

“How is everyone?”

“Pretty good. Leo’s trying to get back on course. Apparently there was some kind of disturbance up ahead, so we’re going to have to go around it. Of course everyone’s all shaken up. Leo blames himself for taking the ambrosia, and Jason’s a wreck, what with Reyna…” Hazel trailed off, looking preoccupied.

“What?”

“He was saying something about… this feeling he had right before Nico showed up. Like… dread. And I was thinking about how he described it. Well, remember when Leo smashed his finger?”

Percy clenched his jaw. He had been afraid of something like this. “Yeah?”

Hazel cleared her throat, now looking thoroughly troubled. “I had a feeling really similar to that, just a few minutes before it happened, and it got really bad right before.”

Percy swallowed hard. “What kind of feeling was it? Like, can you describe it?”

Hazel bit her cheek. “See, that’s the thing. It’s kind of hard to describe. You know how it is when someone says ‘we need to talk’ and suddenly you feel like every bad thing you’ve ever done has been found out? Kind of like that. Like this… dread. Only much more intense. Heavy and just – just wrong. I didn’t think much of it, but when Jason started talking about feeling like that, I started putting two and two together…”

“And you think that this feeling strikes when something bad is about it happen. Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

Hazel nodded, looking relieved that Percy had taken her seriously.

Percy blew out a long, slow breath. “I think we need to talk to everyone about this, and stay on the lookout for something similar. After all, one’s an incident, and two’s a coincidence, but it isn’t a pattern until three.”

“Sounds good. Look, you go talk to the others, and I’ll stay down here with Nico. We can take it in shifts.”

“Right. Okay.” Percy headed for the door. “I’ll come down and report to you after.”

With that, he closed the door and turned to the stairway, not quite ready to take charge of the situation.

 

\---

 

Leo had been having the worst few hours of his life.

Apparently it wasn’t bad enough to crush his finger. No, on top of that, he had to go and deplete the ambrosia, just in time for someone to need it – badly. And as if he needed another reason to want to punch himself in the face, he had almost sailed his friends into the middle of a literal monster feeding ground. If he hadn’t remembered the warning from the charts at the very last second, they all would have been Kraken chow. Now he had to take the long way around to be safe – putting Nico in even more danger than he already had.

He was too distracted by his thoughts and sailing the ship to really listen when Percy called a meeting. 

“Leo, you too!”

Leo waved it off, trying to get back into the rhythm of being alone with his mind. He only snapped out of it when Piper put her hand on his shoulder. “You need to listen, too.”

“I don’t. I already know. I’m not in the mood.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Leo. You need to come and join us. Percy has an important announcement.”

Leo found himself nodding. “Yeah, you’re right, I’m being stupid.” He flicked a few controls to put Festus on autopilot, then walked with Piper to the spot where the rest of the group stood. It wasn’t until he spotted Piper’s look of suppressed guilt until he realized she had charmspoken him.

“Hey,” he said, ready to protest, but Jason shushed him with a look.

“Listen, guys, we’ve got a problem.” Percy rubbed the back of his neck, looking unsure where to start. “I guess I’ll just put it out there: Hazel and I think someone – or something – is sabotaging the ship.”

Frank raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, can’t imagine why. We’re only trying to defeat half of Olympus plus the most powerful being in the universe and her army of creepy-crawlies from Tartarus.”

Percy gave Frank a dry smile, clearly unappreciative of his satire.

Annabeth ignored the exchange. “What makes you think that?”

“Because in the period of, like, two hours Leo smashed his finger in, Nico nearly died, and Reyna and Hedge disappeared along with the Parthenos, which is currently our only hope of saving the world.”

Leo butted in. “And these two incidents are related… how, exactly?”

“Because both times – the first time, Hazel, the second Jason – someone had this feeling. Of something like dread, from what I heard. Really intense, heavy foreboding. Right?” Percy glanced at Jason for confirmation.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed. “Like, my gut was clenching and I couldn’t focus on anything else. It was bizarre.”

“And this has happened twice, which makes us think there’s something more behind it than just pure intuition. So be on the lookout. If any of you gets a weird bad feeling, tell me. Tell Annabeth. Actually, tell everyone so we can be ready for whatever’s going to happen.”

Everyone seemed to agree, and Leo was about ready to retreat back to his control panel to think some more when Percy asked how far they were from the mainland.

“I’d give it a day or two, probably. Do you think we can do that?” He tried his hardest not to look as nervous as he felt that his friends would be disappointed with his less-than-satisfactory performance.

“Fine. I think we can get by. Yeah?” Percy seemed pleased, surprisingly, and everyone else made it clear that they felt the same.

Leo grinned. “Someone rub my back, I’ll get us there in twelve hours.”

\---

It was like someone was giving them a break for a change. From their location at the time, Leo had been able to steer the group in what was almost a completely straight line to the mainland – Greece. They ended up in a small harbor at five in the morning just outside of Athens – mostly populated by fishermen, tan and stocky, with big noses, who didn’t understand a word of Leo’s English. Instead, they jabbered away amongst themselves when asked where the group could find a taxi. Or a road, for that matter. 

Leo, frustrated, but still a bit pleased that they had managed to reach their goal so quickly, hopped back on board, passing Frank, who stood on the rickety dock, grasping the bowline, looking lost and rather mutinous when Leo told him “Keep up the good work, big man.”

“What’s the plan?” Percy took Leo’s hand and helped him over the side of the Argo II. 

“Thanks. These dudes are totally useless. Don’t speak a word of English. And I know a couple of words in Ancient Greek, but Modern Greek… well, it’s literally Greek to me. So unless someone happens to be fluent in their mother tongue, we’re not getting anything from them.”

Percy pulled a hand down his face. The others, hearing news of having docked, emerged from belowdecks. 

“Are we here?” Piper was yawning.

“No, not really. We’re trying to figure out our next move.” Leo crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, thinking.

“Is Hazel still with Nico?” Frank was calling from the deck, still dutifully manning his line.

“Yeah,” Jason replied. “Speaking of that, how are we going to get Nico anywhere once we’re off board? And what are we even looking for? How are we gonna find ambrosia, for one?”

Leo blanched. He had focused all his energy on actually _getting_ them there. He hadn’t once stopped to figure out the logistics of it.

Fortunately, Percy had. “First, we find a place to land the Argo, somewhere no one is going to find it or tamper with it. We can’t leave it here. Then we split up. A few people stay on board with Nico and guard the Argo. A couple of us will head to the main city, and look around for anyone or anything that could help us figure out where we need to go. They can grab some stuff while they’re at it.”

Everyone nodded approval, though it wasn’t like they had much else to offer by way of a plan. 

“Okay, so who’s staying here?”

“I’ll assume Hazel wants to,” remarked Jason.

“We should ask, though.” Percy ducked into the stairway, then popped back up a few seconds later. “Yeah, she’s staying. Who wants to stay with her? You, Frank?”

“Sure,” Frank called.

“Okay. Hazel, Frank, and one more person should stay.” Percy chewed his lip. “I will, if you want.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “What if we need you?”

“You’ll have you and Jason, plus Piper and Leo. I think you’ll be pretty well covered. Frank can handle it fine, I’m sure, but it’s always good to have solid backup. Right?” 

Leo felt himself frowning. It was kind of an odd comment to make. 

Annabeth sighed, but consented. “Fine. But you guys have to be careful, okay?”

Percy smiled and nodded. “Is that okay with everyone?”

A couple people, including Leo, muttered ‘yeah’ and stood back a bit, unsure of what to do next, awaiting directions. 

Leo cleared his throat. “I say we land the Argo somewhere in those woods there. That way we’ll be close enough to Athens that we can get back and forth easily, but far enough out of the way that no one’s going to find our ship and think it’s some kind of tourist attraction.”

“I can try to use the Mist to disguise it while we’re landing,” Piper offered.

This effectively sealed the deal, and Leo clapped his hands together. “Right. Someone tell me where to go.”

\---

The group found a nice clearing in the forest, and – after distracting the fishermen, shrouding the ship in Mist, and hauling Frank back on board – Leo easily guided the Argo II into the middle and secured it. 

Sun filtered in through the trees, which swayed in the warm, wet breeze. It was like the tropical vacation Leo had never gotten. The air smelled fresh and clean, though occasionally city smells wafted through the forest and ruined the effect, which was almost magical.

But there was something else – another force, seeming to come from the very ground itself – that felt dark and almost heavy. It didn’t overpower the happy feelings from the sun, but it was always there, like Leo was hyperaware of standing on top of the cave of a sleeping monster. Everyone else felt it too, Leo knew it from the uneasy glances he saw the others cast around, from the way they carried themselves: easily, but cautiously, like they were stepping on broken glass. Afraid of moving too quickly or hastily, for fear of waking the beast.

Hazel stepped out from the sickbay to get some fresh air, but just for a moment, the she hurried back down. Frank and Percy took their places on the deck, swords lazily drawn, but alert, ready to attack for the sake of the ship at a moment’s notice.

“Have fun! Try not to die!” Leo waved at Percy and Frank after he had hopped off the ship, following the others. “And take care of my ship!”  
Frank rolled his eyes and Percy solemnly saluted Leo. “Yessir.”

“Smart-ass!” With that, Leo turned his back and followed his group, who were retreating into the forest, once again unappreciative of his humor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it was so short! 
> 
> Next Wednesday there'll be a little more action... we're almost at a kind of turning point, so just stick it out for now(:


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper disagrees with a receptionist. Explosions ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I didn't update on wednesday bc Christmas, and I didn't update yesterday because my grandmother is currently residing in my room. Anyways, here's your chapter. 
> 
> And I hope everyone had a great Christmas(:

Piper was out of breath.

She grumbled under her breath, trying to keep up with Jason, who was effectively plowing through the undergrowth, slashing at the meaty plants grasping at his ankles with his sword. 

Piper, on the other hand, didn’t really have a sword, so she did her best with Katoptris, which wasn’t exactly her weapon of choice against foliage. “Wait, will you?”

Jason slowed maybe half a pace, but still kept going. “Jesus. Hold on, I’m trying to catch up to you.”

Piper heard him snort. “Then pick up the pace.”

She tutted. “I ought to dump you, you idiot.” A few quick steps and she was level with him.

Jason grinned at her. “We’re off on an adventure!” He leapt into the air and tried to click his heels together. 

Piper tried not to pant as she laughed. 

“Out of shape?” Jason gave her a wry grin.

Piper shook her head. “Of course not. Just… sore.”

“Ha. You sure about that?” And he increased his pace.

Stepping carefully over a mass of vines that reminded her uncomfortably of entrails, Piper picked up her own pace. “Uh, yeah. I’d offer to race you but I don’t want to cut your self esteem down too much.”

“Oh, it’s on.” Jason took off, stumbling over the undergrowth, and Piper followed, trying to wield Katoptris as deftly as possible and keep up with her boyfriend, whose legs must have been ten feet long.

“I take, like, eighteen steps for every one of yours!” Piper complained as Jason leapt over a fallen log, covered in slippery moss-like lichen.

“Hey! Kasey Kahne! Slow the hell down! Some of us don’t have 2% body fat!” Leo’s voice protested from yards behind them. 

Jason fell back, and Piper gladly stopped. Together, hands on their knees, they took a moment to catch their breath. Annabeth and Leo gingerly picked their way to the small clearing where Piper and Jason rested, now on their backs. 

Annabeth admittedly didn’t look too thrilled with their shenanigans, but Piper was just enjoying a moment of relief. Here in the sun, on the warm grass with Jason, birds chirping, chest pulling in fresh, clean, warm air, she didn’t have to think about what they were up against. One glance at her boyfriend told Piper he felt the same. 

“Okay, okay. Serious now.” Jason managed to pull a straight face, stand, and help Piper up.

She thanked him, sheathed Katoptris, and turned to face the others. “We’re heading in the right direction, right?”

Leo held up a finger to make them hold on, and thrust the other hand into his tool belt. He was down to the elbow before he pulled back, holding a compass. 

“Sorry it took so long,” he apologized, “it kept giving me a normal old compass. Not exactly useful when we have no clue where Athens is from here. This should work better.” With this, he proudly raised up a small contraption that looked kind of like a pedometer to Piper.

She didn’t ask how it worked. 

“According to this, we need to go… that way. Approximately.” Leo frowned, twiddled with a dial, and then shifted his pointing finger about twenty degrees to the right. 

“We should come up on the West side of the city. But it should start looking like actual city before that. Apparently we’re in a park right now. A really big park.”

Everyone was happy to hear that. The muggy air made it hard to traipse through the jungle. 

\---

Leo held true to his promise. Actually, it was only about three minutes later when the trees suddenly cleared and they found themselves on the edge of some kind of park. In front of them stood squat industrial buildings with intermittent bunches of sickly-looking trees. 

“Uhm. I guess we should try to find a cab?”

The group quickly found that there were no cabs. But there was a thin highway cutting through the trees on the other side of the development. 

The four stood at the edge of the development, all of them a little lost and pretty frustrated. Piper scanned for any sign of English writing, but it was all in Greek. Jason shrugged. Leo blew air out of his mouth, looking a little daunted by the thick expanse of foliage ahead. 

Annabeth bit her cheek. “We should see if we can get a map or something.”

Piper personally thought that a group of American teenagers suddenly waltzing into an industrial yard might be a bit conspicuous. But she kept it to herself. “Yeah, guess so. Leo, you don’t have a way to get a map in that tool belt, do you?”

Leo grimaced. “Something’s up with it lately. I need to see if I can tweak it a bit. It’s not as reliable or fast as it used to be all of a sudden. I’m not going to try to get something that complicated out of it yet, it might overwork itself and when we really need something totally go to shit. Sorry.”

Piper shrugged. It had been worth a try. 

“So… where do we look to find a map?” Jason seemed a little hesitant. 

“I know a little Greek,” Annabeth offered. “I could see if I could ask someone for one. Or maybe for directions?”

Piper shrugged. “I guess that works. It’s the best shot we have anyway.” 

Everyone nodded their consent. They all seemed to have the same frame of mind as Piper. 

Instead of splitting up, though it would help keep them out of the line of suspicion, everyone agreed that they should stick together. And with that, the four of them ventured out onto the concrete from the trees. 

Annabeth scanned the area. “I’ll bet that’s the front office. Look how it’s positioned. And look at the architecture. Obviously they need two stories for whatever they’re doing here, and it’s the only one that’s a single story.”

Piper was impressed. Apparently Leo wasn’t, though. “It also has sliding glass doors leading into a lobby with a receptionist. Great job, Holmes.”

Jason snorted, and Piper shot him a look. Annabeth smirked, but turned a little red. “Fair enough.” 

An elfish grin spread over Leo’s face. “Wow. I actually one-upped Annabeth. You have no clue how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Okay, smart-ass. You win this one. Now let’s _go_.”

The pavement was white and hot under the sun, and the yard, which looked like it should have been crawling with workers, was still and relatively deserted. But the lobby still held a receptionist, who looked bored as hell and hotter still.

“Hello,” Annabeth greeted him, testing to see if he knew English. 

The man looked up and furrowed his brow. 

Annabeth winced. “Okay. No English. Um. Hold on.” She cleared her throat. “γειά σου.”

The man didn’t look impressed. He jabbered a few words in Greek that made Annabeth hesitate. 

“Uhh… χάρτης… please?” 

Piper assumed Annabeth had just asked for a map. 

The receptionist frowned, then raised an eyebrow. His expression clearly said what he could not say: “I don’t get paid enough for this.”

He held up a finger and disappeared through a brown door.

Piper took the moment to observe the room. It was small, square, a few squat armchairs perched at random intervals on the ratty carpet. The receptionist’s desk was squeezed into a corner facing the doors. The whole place screamed ‘boring’. 

Leo shifted beside her. “Do you think he went to go get his boss or something?” 

Jason gave a humorless laugh. “With our luck, he probably went to summon his army of earth-demons, and we’ll be lucky to escape with our lives.”

At that moment, the door swung open, and Piper stiffened. Jason had a point. Had they walked right into a trap?

The scruffy-looking receptionist stepped out, followed by an even scruffier-looking dude. This guy was huge – 350 pounds of pure Greek muscle and wiry body hair. Piper’s stomach dropped – they were about to be finished off, and not even by some monster. By an angry Greek steroid abuser. 

Then the big guy opened his mouth and Piper got the biggest shock of her day so far. “Americans, huh?”

The man’s voice was dripping with a heavy accent, almost impossible to decipher. Yet, he knew English. The cranky receptionist had simply gone to get a translator. Annabeth’s surprise was evident in her voice. “Uhh, yeah. Yes. And we just need a map.”

The man crossed his arms. “I will not ask how you have gotten here. A map is all you are needing?”

Annabeth nodded again. “Yes. We want to know how to get to Athens.”

The man turned and reached behind him, pulling a pamphlet out of a pocket on the wall. “This is what you will want. Simply follow the highway; you will get in the city soon after you come to the main road.”

Annabeth accepted the map, looking relieved. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome. You need nothing else?”

“No, thanks.” The man nodded and retreated behind the door once again. The receptionist frowned at them. Annabeth tried giving him a friendly wave, but he simply glared in return. 

 

“We should leave,” Leo said, almost in an offhand way. “Really.”

Piper was a little taken aback, mostly because Leo was rarely that serious or dazed-looking. “Yeah, let’s go.”

They exited the building, found the road the man had pointed out, and started walking. It was empty, and without the trees as shade, the group found it hard to focus on much else but their empty stomachs and sunburned necks.

“Gods, it’s going to be hours before we get there,” Jason whined.

“Oh, come on, Jason. It’ll be fun.” Piper tried to cheer him up, though she silently agreed. 

Leo didn’t say anything, though usually when it came to complaining about shitty situations Leo was first in line. 

“Leo? You okay?” Piper nudged him.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m – fine,” Leo reassured her haltingly. He wasn’t even a little convincing. 

Jason looked up. The others were starting to notice. “Are you sure? You look a little green, dude.”

Leo took a shaky breath. “Yeah. Um. Could we take a little break real quick? I’m feeling a little… weird.” The group halted and Leo bent over, hands on his knees. 

“Leo, what’s the matter?” Piper was decidedly sharp with her friend, because when Leo couldn’t pull himself together there was definitely something wrong. 

Leo was pulling in deep breaths, and his face – usually tan and weatherworn – was sickly and pale. “I – uhh – I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?” Annabeth was standing a few feet away from Leo, unsure of what to do. 

“I feel – like – I don’t know – like a panic attack – but worse – different – oh, god --”

With this, Jason stepped forward. “Like you’re so worried you’re gonna be sick… Like your gut is twisting and you can’t breathe. Right?”

Leo looked up, looking terrified, and nodded. “Is that…?”

Jason looked grim. “Yeah. Right before Nico appeared.”

Piper felt herself balk. “Oh, gods. Something’s gonna --”

But before she could finish her sentence, she felt a low rumble in her feet. Pebbles on the ground shook. She turned in the direction of the rumble, and her friends followed suit. 

She gasped. Just a quarter of a mile away, the industrial yard was no longer just a few distant smoke stacks. Columns of fire, orange with black tarlike smoke erupted over the skyline. As she blinked to make sure she was seeing the right thing, another ball of deadly heat exploded behind the existing flames. A faint siren wailed in the distance. 

“All those people,” Piper whispered. Her mouth hung open. She felt like she had just stepped into a pool of ice water. Every nerve in her body tingled with a mixture of relief and terror.

“We were just there,” Leo croaked. “Just there, like, five minutes ago.”

Nobody said anything. Just stared. Piper couldn’t decide if she felt worse about the deaths of the people in that building, or the fact that they could have been just as dead had they stuck around any longer. 

The fire was no longer visible and black smoke curled up into the air, poisoning the atmosphere, and the acrid scent of burning wood and plastic and rubber burned her nostrils. And yet no one moved. There must have been another way into the compound, because no emergency vehicles had passed them but they could be heard, and Piper didn’t want to say anything.

“We need to go.”

Leo shook his head when Jason spoke. He looked like his world was falling around him.

“We need to go,” Jason repeated. “We’re losing daylight.”

Piper made a small noise in the back of her throat.

“There’s nothing we can do, guys.” Annabeth spoke this time. “Jason’s right. We need to go.”

“But…” Leo whispered.

“Leo, please. We need to talk about this, but we need to be moving.”

Piper shook herself. “Yeah. Leo. We need to go.” She took Leo’s arm.

Leo frowned even deeper, then blinked. He pulled a hand down his face. “Okay.”

They had probably covered another half mile by the time anyone spoke.

“Just about two more miles, guys.” Leo held the map in front of his face, squinting in the sun.

Jason cleared his throat. “Are we not gonna talk about this, or…”

“Well, we know one thing for sure.” 

Piper stared at Annabeth. “What?”

“Bad things have been happening, and they’ve been happening way more frequently than usual.” Annabeth spoke slowly, and very clearly, as if she was explaining something very obvious to a bunch of mental patients.

“I know,” Jason growled, “but why? And why do we get this… warning?”

Annabeth wiped some sweat off the back of her neck. “I don’t know. But we’re being targeted. Why else would that factory blow up just a few minutes after we left? Why else would we lose the Parthenos?”

Piper frowned. “I guess that makes sense. I don’t like it, but it makes sense. What about this whole warning thing?”

Leo spoke again, having been lost in thought. “That feeling. Like your gut is being shredded apart. It’s the worst dread you can imagine. Jason had it, Hazel had it. I had it.”

“Three’s a coincidence,” Annabeth added. 

“And if anyone feels like that, even a little bit, from now on, tell us. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Everyone agreed that things were looking a little more serious than before, and that being on the lookout was probably for the best.

And so they walked.

And walked.

For two more miles, another hour of silence and beating sun traveled with them, heavy on their backs. The fun had eked out of the task like blood from a vein. 

And then, a house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll try to have the next chapter up on time.
> 
> (Though next wednesday is New Year's, and the new Sherlock finally airs... so I'm not making any promises)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The enemy of Jason's enemy is Jason's friend... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is actually long! I give myself a pat on the back for substance.

Jason wanted to sleep for a year.

Three miles was no big deal for him back home. He could run it without breaking a sweat. Yet in the heat and humidity of the day, three miles proved to be a bigger task than he had originally thought. 

The weight of their situation wasn’t helping. Perhaps that explosion had jarred him, but the whole thing looked a lot bleaker on this side of the park. They had to have walked at least another two miles, because Jason caught sight of a little cluster of buildings up ahead. 

“Maybe there’s a bus station up ahead or something?” His friends agreed that finding a bus was the best shot they had, because it was now nine in the morning and they didn’t want to waste the time they had left in the day. 

Their side of the freeway indeed included a conveniently placed bus stop. The four of them collapsed onto one bench, sweaty and tired already, even though it was only the morning. Jason’s body only slept anymore when he allowed it, and sometimes that was midday, and other times it wasn’t until three in the morning. He was all but immune to time zones, and he assumed everyone else had the same issue. 

They only had to wait a bit for a bus. Finally, a round white bus pulled up in front of them. Jason led Leo and Piper to the back and Annabeth showed the driver the map, struggling to explain their desired destination. 

The driver simply nodded and pointed to a few different places on the map, yabbering away in a language that Jason didn’t even try to understand. Even the _gestures_ were different here. 

Annabeth thanked him, then joined the others. “I guess we’re just going to have to pick one of the stops along the way. He’s going to make a lot.”

This, too, proved to be truth. The bus stopped at least three times before they got into the city, though they were brief, only letting two or three people on and off at a time. 

Then they entered the suburban area of the city, and housing developments came into clear view, interspersed with shops and markets. Annabeth admired the architecture, which was done in obvious layers, the newest buildings on the outside of the city, getting older as they moved closer to the center of the city.

Eventually Leo tapped Jason on the shoulder and pointed out a little round copse of trees, rather like a park, situated around some kind of church. “You wanna get off here?”

Jason shrugged. “It’s as good as anywhere.”

The city really was beautiful, Jason realized as he waited for Piper to exit the bus. 

The buildings were bright and well-kept, and everyone looked relatively friendly. Also, just like in Rome, there were a lot of tourists. Most of them looked American or English, and Jason was hearing more English as he looked around, his ears perking up every time he heard a word he recognized. 

“Where do we start?” Piper sounded breathless and a little overwhelmed. 

“I suppose we just walk around… wait until we see something unusual.”

Leo pursed his lips. “I’m a little hungry, guys, I didn’t even have breakfast.”

Jason felt himself crack a smile. “Fine. Food first. But keep your eyes open, guys! You never know what we could find.”

\---

They didn’t find much. They found some kind of burger joint, obviously there solely to cater to American tourists, but it suited the group nicely because the food was cheap and greasy. After paying for the meal in flustered tones and a couple of American bills, which the owners didn’t seem to appreciate, Jason and his friends left the green plastic tables and chairs behind along with the shade and continued on their search. 

This proved to be easier said than done. Alongside the bustling of city life, not to mention the population of tourists, which seemed to multiply with every passing hour, it was almost impossible for the demigods to pay attention to one thing at a time. Even Annabeth, who was usually so good at reigning in her ADHD, was looking a little overwhelmed. 

Eventually Jason just let his mind wander for a bit, strolling along under the warm sun with the pleasant smells floating around. He thought some more about Reyna. Was it even possible that she was still alive? Jason hesitated to let himself hope for anything. He thought about this whole weird thing with the dread and the almost-dying. Was it going to continue? Would they still get that handy warning beforehand? And why was it even happening? Was it a curse? That seemed like the most likely answer. They certainly were encountering more bad luck than normal. 

Jason sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was approaching noon, and his feet hurt. He was starting to get discouraged.

And that was when Piper smacked his arm.

Jason jumped. “What?”

“There.” Piper was pointing at a little house nestled in between two others. It looked pretty run-down and shabby. 

“Uhh, Pipes, that’s a shack.”

“No. No, look closer. It’s surrounded by Mist.”

Annabeth gasped. “It is!”

“I can’t see past it,” Leo whined.

“That’s because it’s really powerful. Look harder. Pretend the Mist doesn’t bother you, tell your brain you can see it.”

Jason screwed up his face, squinting. Then he tried opening his eyes really wide. He shut them again when his head started aching with the effort. And when he looked at the house again, the image flickered. “I saw it!”

Leo glanced at Jason, annoyed, but when he looked back yelled, “There! I can see it! Oh, nope. There it goes again. But I saw it!”

It took Jason and Leo both a few minutes to get the house to stay consistently in its true form, but once Jason had it mastered, he wondered why it had been enchanted at all. It was the same age, same shape, it even had the same crappy paint job as the houses around it. 

“Someone _really_ doesn’t want us in there,” Annabeth remarked.

“Good,” Leo deadpanned, “let’s go inside and poke around.”

They crossed the street without much fuss, though Piper caught her foot in a crack in the sidewalk and almost launched herself into the street. 

“Fine, fine, I’m okay,” she reassured Jason as they approached the house. 

They climbed the steps to the front porch, which was small and creaky. 

“Should we knock?” Jason glanced at the others.

“No,” Annabeth replied. “Just go. Try the handle.”

Jason reached for the handle, not expecting a lot, and was surprised when the door swung open easily. 

“Good sign?” 

Leo glanced back at the road. “No, not really. It’s like an invitation to a dinner party. Except we’re the dinner.”

“Thanks for the reassurance, Leo.” Piper punched his arm.

“Hey, anytime.” Leo rubbed his new bruise.

“Swords drawn,” Jason reminded everyone. Surprisingly, they actually did what he said – even Piper and Annabeth. Maybe he wasn’t the only one feeling a little apprehensive about what they were going to do. 

And Jason stepped inside.

The hallway was dark and sparsely decorated, mostly faded gray wood walls and floor. A decrepit-looking staircase led up from the doorway, but the group ignored it. Judging by the state of the railing, it wasn’t fit to walk on. The hall extended down to what looked like the end of the house, and since it was only lit by one dusty chandelier and contained no windows, it was hard to see anything down at the end. Their footsteps creaked as they moved cautiously down the hall. About ten different doors that Jason could see lined the hall, almost like a hotel except they were made of the same dank gray wood. 

Jason craned his neck to look up. Where the staircase stopped and leveled out there was another hallway, this one exposed with a rail, located on the right side of the main hall. Doors lined the upstairs hall too. Again, Jason wouldn’t go up there if you paid him, and he could control the winds to keep himself from falling. The wood was questionable down here. It was probably even less stable up there. 

“Creepy,” Leo remarked, and Jason turned around to see him staring at a spider web, thickly coated with yet more dust, that quivered as their footsteps disturbed it. Annabeth, who was bringing up the rear right behind Leo since it was impossible to travel in more than a single file line down the hall, sighed and whacked him behind the ear. Leo winced and rubbed at the sore spot, but luckily didn’t make any noise. 

Piper coughed behind Jason, who didn’t blame her. All this dust was a little overwhelming, and with every step they took, it seemed like more clouds of it billowed up and swirled straight into their lungs. 

Jason drew in a breath, about to kick in the first door and check the room, when a thud sounded from the back.

Jason whipped around, and so did Piper and Leo, forgetting to keep one eye on all angles. Leo shouted Annabeth’s name, abandoning instructions to be quiet. Jason’s sword was already in front of him, ready to attack the enemy, who had seemingly dropped from the upstairs hall, fallen ten feet down and landed on Annabeth. Jason couldn’t see his face – it was covered entirely by a thick woolen hood, and his body moved swiftly under a dark gray cloak of the same material. 

Jason shoved Piper and Leo out of the way with one swift sweep of his arm, and thrust his sword forward, adrenaline flooding his brain. The attacker sprung up from Annabeth’s crumpled form and used a dark iron candle holder bolted to the wall above him to swing up – and over Jason’s head.

Jason didn’t hesitate, but heard Leo mutter “holy shit” behind him. 

The attacker whirled, and suddenly Jason caught sight of a short dark blade in his hands. He thrust, and Jason quickly parried, caught off guard that he had dared to get so close. Before Jason could catch sight of his face he thrust again and again – even though he had a short blade he was taking the offensive – as though Jason was the dangerous predator. But even Jason knew he was no match for this guy.

Sweat dripped into Jason’s eyes as he no longer tried to get in any form of offensive attack, simply did his best to block the ferocious hacks. Piper and Leo stood behind him, and he could feel them trying to get jabs in at the attacker, but there was simply no room. Jason was gripping his sword with two sweaty hands. He was breathing so hard he could feel each breath ripping through his throat. 

Then Piper was able to duck under Jason’s arm and slip behind the guy. She wrapped both her arms around his neck and hung there even though he wasn’t much taller than her. But instead of looking concerned at this development, the attacker simply _rolled his eyes_ and thrust his sword toward Jason’s head. Jason recognized the move as a bluff too late, and the man’s blade was in Jason’s leg before he even had time to register his mistake. 

Jason felt his ragged breath catch in his chest. He made some kind of noise - half groan and half surprised exclamation - and fell, clutching his thigh, trying to stem the flow of blood. 

Piper and Leo both shouted his name, and Leo took Jason under the arms and dragged him away from where Piper cowered under her blade as the man beat viciously at her with his own blade. It was all Piper could do to stay propped up against the wall and block his hacking swipes. Leo leaped over Jason, who couldn’t have stood if he tried and was feeling more and more lightheaded with every second. 

Leo swung his sword at the attacker’s back, who saw him out of the corner of his eye, apparently, and leapt away at the last second. He caught the hilt of Leo’s sword with the blade of his own and twisted. Leo held on, though, and the guy simply pulled forward and thrust back, forcing Leo to stumble backwards. He used the distraction to grab Piper by the arm, pull her toward him to gain power, and plant a foot on her chest to slam her into the opposite wall. 

Jason cringed as Piper’s breath rushed out of her lungs, and she too crumpled to the floor. 

The attacker paused, as if to catch his breath. Jason couldn’t see his face, but he could see Leo’s, and he looked utterly surprised. “To be honest, I’m as surprised as you are that I’m the only one left,” Leo joked, but he looked a little scared now. 

The guy straightened up, raised his sword – Leo mirrored with his own – and brought it down. Leo blocked, and the resulting _clang_ bounced off the walls and hurt Jason’s ears. Leo winced. The attacker raised his sword again, faster this time, and brought it down again. Leo blocked again, but barely had time to recover before he had to block another, more forceful blow. 

“Jesus – I’m not – okay! Okay! I surrender!” Leo slipped in the words between blows, slipping further and further down the wall, bracing himself against the attacks. Jason knew his attempt to plead was futile. Someone this hell-bent on hacking his friends to death wasn’t just going to stop because Leo asked him to. The attacker raised the sword one last time, Leo raised his, and Jason squeezed his eyes shut. This was the end.

The sword cut audibly through the air, and Jason tensed up, waiting to hear what was coming next, afraid to open his eyes. Then – he heard Leo speak. 

“Holy – hell – what the fuck --”

Jason cracked an eye open. The scene swam in front of his eyes, probably because he was now laying in a pool of his own blood. Leo stood braced against the wall, but now was slowly lowering his sword, a look of shock and utter confusion written all over his face. 

And the attacker was standing a few feet back from Leo, still holding his sword point dangerously close to his face. And he was lowering his hood. He dropped the hood to fall on his shoulders – and shook out his hair. 

Or rather – she did. Jason, not entirely sure if he was having some kind of hallucination due to blood loss, squinted his eyes. The attacker was definitely a woman. Leo cleared his throat. “You – okay. Who are you?” Jason kept his eyes on Leo, and not the girl. Leo kept shooting sidelong glances at his friends, as if to check if they were okay. Leo’s eyes slid back to the girl.

“You are in my house. I should be asking who _you_ are.” She spoke with a heavy Grecian accent, but her words were clear and easy to understand. Her voice was throaty and kind of deep, but not in an overly-masculine way. 

Leo glanced at Jason again, this time as if asking for help. 

Jason knew he should say something, and he did know what to say, but he couldn’t. His vision was swimming worse than ever, his hands were slick with his own blood, and he felt like he was going to pass out at any given moment. 

Leo looked at Jason, and Jason could see he was worried, but he managed to shake his head, trying to reassure his friend. “Uhh,” Leo said. “We’re demigods. We’re not here to hurt anyone, seriously. We didn’t mean to invade your space. But, uhh, we’d like to, uhh, get some ambrosia if you have any, also we’d like to try and defeat Gaea, if that helps at all. If that offends you, I’d recommend not killing us. Actually, I think--”

The girl stopped him. “You are trying to defeat Gaea? And her armies?”

“Yeah, uhh, wow, I really hope we have the same goals here, if not that could be very ba--”

The girl interrupted Leo’s frantic babbles once again, this time by grabbing the collar of his shirt and slamming him into the wall with her forearm.

Leo stared at her for a moment, shocked and panicked, before he spoke again. “Wow, I fucked up, didn’t I? Oh gods, see this is why I never do the talking.”

“How do I prove you are not lying?”

Leo cleared his throat. “What?”

“How do I make absolutely sure you are telling the truth? That you will not betray me to Gaea?”

“Wait, so, you’re not on her side?” Leo’s relief was written all over his face. “Well, that. That was unexpected. Believe me, we’re on your side. I mean, do we look like a bunch of evil, Tartarus-dwelling Earth cronies to you?” He gestured at his friends for emphasis. Jason thought he had a good point. Three-fourths of them were lying helpless on the floor.

The girl nodded pensively. “I suppose… But what are you doing here?”

“I told you,” Leo said, looking back at his friends. “We saw the Mist, and figured if you knew magic like that, you had ambrosia. It was a real stroke of luck, too, because we really need some. Our friend is hurt, and it’s pretty bad. That’s all. We’re not trying to impose.

“We might need a little more now,” Leo added, glancing again at Jason, who was now starting to fade out of consciousness. 

The girl started to say something else, but Jason just couldn’t stay awake any longer. He felt his body slump to the ground, and through his daze heard Leo shouting his name, telling him to stay awake. Jason hoped he’d get the girl to see reason.

And then there was nothing.

\---

Sounds, warped and wrong, floated around Jason’s brain. Light shone red through his eyelids. His head pounded. 

Jason groaned. He didn’t want to wake up. Not yet.

“Jason?” His name bounced around his skull, and it was quite painful. He threw a limp arm over his eyes to block out the light. He was parched, too, but chose to ignore that because if he was to drink anything he’d have to sit up and open his eyes. He decided he’d much rather wallow here in the dark confines of semi-consciousness.

“Jason.” This time he heard his name spoken, and it was clearer. Piper also sounded a bit sterner than before. “Wake up. Can you hear me?”

Jason groaned again and nodded, because he couldn’t fight it anymore.

“Good. Can you sit up.”

“Mmno,” Jason mumbled. “Lemme sleep.”

“Jason,” Piper sounded exasperated. “Don’t be a baby.”

“Fuckkoff.”

A new voice assaulted Jason’s ears. “He did lose a lot of blood.” It was the girl who had attacked them.

“And whose fault was that?” Piper snapped.

“Again, I already apologized. I had to disarm and disable you all before I could be entirely sure you were safe. He’s lucky I missed his femoral artery. Of course, I missed it on purpose. I intentionally kept you all alive.”

Jason cracked open an eye to see Piper scowling and rubbing the back of her head. “Well, you didn’t do us any favors.”

“Look,” the girl said, changing the subject. “I believe he’s coming back around.”

Both of Jason’s eyes were open and fully functional now, though he had a raging headache, like a hangover. He also had a pleasant taste in his mouth, one he couldn’t describe. “Ambrosia?” He asked, and his speech sounded quite a bit clearer.

“Yeah,” said Piper, throwing her arms around Jason’s neck.

Jason winced, but didn’t say anything.

When Piper backed away, Jason got a chance to survey the room. He was laying on a nicely made bed in a well-lit room, warm sunlight streaming in through clean linen curtains. Everything seemed to be a clean cream color. The room itself was about fifteen feet square, fairly large, with high windows and one door. Annabeth, Piper, Leo, and the mysterious girl were all standing around Jason’s bed.

“I’m okay now,” he reassured them. He slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and stood up with some effort. He was dizzy for a moment, but after squeezing his eyes shut, Jason was fine.

“So, what did I miss?”

Piper took his hand, but rolled her eyes. “We’re besties with Helena now,” she explained.

“Helena?” Jason look at her inquisitively, and Piper jerked her head toward the girl. “Oh.”

“Helena has a story to tell, apparently, but we were all waiting on you so she could tell it.” Leo was leaning casually against a wall, arms folded. 

“Yes,” Helena said. “Now, we should go to the kitchen. I have food there. We can all sit at the table, and we’ll exchange some information.”

Jason followed the rest of the group out of the bedroom, down the narrow hall, and into a room toward the back of the house. 

When they were all seated, and Jason, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth were happily munching on cheese, crackers, and fresh vegetables, Helena began.

“When I was young, I lived in Albania with my mother. As you can imagine, living so close to the old country – well, it was very dangerous, and my mother often worried. We were part of a very few who dared venture so close. Eventually, we found others like us, in hiding. They invited us to join.”

Helena took a deep breath. “I was ten years old when my mother died, only a few months after I had lived with the group. We were living underground, and it was dangerous. My mother got sick, and since we dared not go to the surface to seek help and attract attention to ourselves, she passed. A few weeks later, we relocated to a building, an old warehouse on the surface, only a few miles away from the border. It was there that my meager group of underage demigods met a larger group – mixed with demigods as young as twelve and as old as fifty. They explained their resistance efforts. They could not do much, you see, because of their lack of resources, but had been collecting signs and symptoms of Gaea’s rise for years. We joined them because we had no other choice. We lived in relative safety for six years. Then, last year, when I was sixteen, we learned of major godly disturbances.”

Helena paused and took a sip of water. “Six months ago, all our research and training had come to a climax. We stole away under cover of night and slipped into Greece. At first, not much happened. But we had heard of plans for Gaea’s army to converge in a remote part of the country, in the foothills of the mountains, east of Exarchos. It took nearly three days for us to get there, alternating car rides and walking. Our rations were scarce. But we made it in time. It wasn’t hard to track down the army.

“It was like nothing I have ever seen before. The creatures… they are not in any lore, no myth that I have heard contains them. They are huge, ten feet tall on average, and the way they look and move… like they are made of dirt. Dirt falls from their skin as they move, like it is loosely packed. They smell of damp earth. They have small eyes and noses and mouths, but are very single-minded and cruel, ruthless till the end, apparently incapable of feeling pain. They have no name, because none of our group could name them, not even the wisest and most learned of us. We attacked blindly, because though we knew nothing about the creatures, we had not gone all that way just to turn and run.” 

She paused, apparently lost in thought. Jason thought he could see her eyes glisten a bit.

“They slaughtered us. Every one. I watched my friends fall around me, screaming for mercy. The way they kill is very gruesome. They carry crude stone swords but prefer to grasp their victim around the face with their huge hands. The dirt seems to act of its own accord, slithering down the victims’ throat, into their eyes and nose and ears…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “When the monster lets go, the victim is unrecognizable, and very, very dead. Sometimes, they let go early, just to hear them scream…”

Helena trailed off. Jason and his friends had stopped eating, their food stony in their mouths. They were hanging on to every word they heard, trying to process what it meant. In the meantime, Helena ignored them and continued her story.

“I ran. I was a coward, but I had a gash in my side that would not stop bleeding. I was weakening. All my training had taught me to kill a grown man with a swipe of my wrist, but that was child’s play compared to those creatures. I ran to the village of Exarchos, and was taken in by a kindly farmer. I stayed a week there until my wound was healed enough to walk, then I traveled another day and a half to Athens. Here I settled, and here I have lived in constant paranoia and fear ever since.”

Silence met her words. She didn’t say anything else, just let her story hang there in the air, waiting for an ending or conclusion to wrap it up. Nobody moved. Jason doubted anyone was breathing.

“We might know something.” Annabeth was picking at the tablecloth, refusing to meet Helena’s gaze. “We come from America, from a camp called Camp Half-Blood. Except… it’s kind of complicated.”

“How so?”

“Well, Jason is kind of from a different camp. We have a couple other friends from the camp, too, where all the demigods are of Roman descent.”

Helena blanched. She looked right at Jason. “You… have a Roman godly parent? Not… Greek?”

Jason bit his lip. “Well, yeah. But I’m totally loyal to the Greeks. I mean… we have to stick together, right? Gaea doesn’t care if you’re Greek or Roman. She just wants to kill us all.”

Helena raised an eyebrow at him, then turned back to Annabeth. “You have more Romans hiding somewhere?” 

“No, no, they’re back on our ship. Two Roman demigods and one Greek. But, please, trust me. I’ve traveled across the world with these guys, I’d any of them with my life. And you should too.”

“Tell me more about this ship.” Helena leaned forward, her chin on her steepled fingertips, elbows on the table. She seemed genuinely intrigued and respectful, considering just an hour and a half earlier she had been trying to murder them.

And so Annabeth explained everything to her, starting from the very beginning – the parts before Jason and Hazel and Leo and Piper and Frank had come in and it was just her and Percy and some kid named Grover, the parts even Jason hadn’t heard. Old prophecies the others had never heard, things they had witnessed as onlookers and mortals, and had had no clue Annabeth and Percy had been involved in. Annabeth wove tales of Cyclopes, defeats of famous monsters like Medusa. She talked about the Labyrinth, and diving from famous buildings into dirty rivers. And the way she talked – like they’d been in mortal peril half the time, and she’d do it over again in an instant. Jason’s own past with the wolves and Juno paled in comparison.

Then she talked about her new friends, moving on from deaths of loved ones and battles with titans. She talked about Percy’s disappearance and how Jason and the others came in. She told them of frantic months searching for someone most certainly dead. Finally, she told Helena about their most recent battles, she talked in detail that Jason hadn’t yet heard of her battle with Arachne to find the Parthenos. She skirted around the subject of her time in Tartarus, but gave them details just specific enough to allow them to weave a clearer picture of the horrors she and Percy had witnessed. And she told Helena about the apparent curse they were carrying like baggage, and about the prophecy, which interested Helena more. 

“It sounds to me like you and your friends have traveled far to find me. I can help you. You say you have another friend that needs ambrosia? I will bring him some, as long as you can make room for me on your vessel. I have knowledge of the lands, which you will need. You will also need me to tell you about the earth-monsters. All I ask in return is that you allow me to join you.” Helena sounded almost desperate.

Annabeth smiled. “No need to keep selling it. We need all the help we can get, and you seem like you’d be a good asset to have. We’d appreciate your help. Of course we can make room. Right, guys?”

Jason nodded. Everyone else seemed to agree wholeheartedly. Helena seemed just like the leg up they needed. And apparently no one was getting _the feeling_ about her. 

“Thank you,” Helena said, almost surprised at the warm reception. “I was afraid I would not be well-liked, having ambushed you like I did.”

Leo shrugged. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing a major OC into a fanfic, so she's probably going to be reeeallly one-sided and shallow for a while until I can kind of figure her out. 
> 
> Aside from that, happy New Year (and happy new Sherlock)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Information and friends are exchanged, enemies are made, and the news continues to be bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is the longest yet... don't get used to that, I feel like it's a little scatterbrained. Sorry about that. So many dang plot points I wanted to squeeze into this one. Enjoy the fluff and angst, cause there's lots of both.

Hazel hadn’t thought very much about death in the past few weeks.

She supposed it was because she had been expending all her energy trying to escape it. But now that her brother – her closest relation – was at the threshold of death, she found her thoughts again returning to that dark place, the one she used to visit so often in her mind.

To her, death didn’t look like a graveyard. She didn’t picture a dark room full of skeletons, nor did blood drip from the walls. No. She had felt death firsthand, and it was much, much worse than that. 

When she thought about death, she pictured blankness. Sometimes it was white, other times gray or black. Like a vacuum. Most times it was simply Nothing. It was odd that other people couldn’t picture the concept of Nothing. Then again, they hadn’t experienced it. 

Nothing wasn’t just a visual concept. It occupied all five senses, and the others people didn’t know they had until they felt Nothing working on them. It was like being rent apart and forced together at the same time. It was painful and calming. Nothing was like tasting water, like smelling pure oxygen. It was everything and nothing all at once. Nothing was like being buried in concrete but floating. It was so loud it was quiet, and so quiet it was loud. 

While Hazel held a wet cloth to her brother’s forehead, listening to him breathe and occasionally mumble incoherently, Hazel thought about Nothing. She thought about feeling Nothing. She wondered if Nico had yet touched Nothing, or if he wasn’t far enough along in his death. 

Percy and Frank chatted above, and their voices drifted down to the infirmary though the open door. Aside from that, it was silent. Not quite as quiet as Nothing, but still quiet and serene. The sun was starting to sink down below the horizon, she could tell by the weak, watery light flooding in, but Hazel had decided she wouldn’t worry about the others until it was all the way down. 

And so Hazel sat, tending Nico and thinking very hard about Nothing.

She waited until the sun was completely gone and the air filtering into the room was so cold it did more harm than good to check on Percy and Frank. Hazel touched her brother’s shoulder and told him to hold on, she’d be right back. Then she climbed the stairs up to the top deck. 

Frank and Percy both leaned against the fore mast, chatting, not paying an ounce of attention to their actual jobs. The last of the sun’s light was lazily fading, and as dusk set in, the air stilled to a complete calm. It was very peaceful. Hazel didn’t want to go back down below.

She took a moment to survey her surroundings. Nothing coming through the trees, nothing in the sky. No sign of trouble. The others seemed pretty unconcerned, though Hazel knew not to let herself be lured into a false sense of security. 

“Hey,” she greeted her friends as she came into their view. 

Frank grinned at her, and Percy waved. “Hey! How is he?”

Hazel pulled in a deep breath, not wanting to scare her friends, but reluctant to sugar-coat the situation. “Good, I guess,” she replied, sitting on the deck to face the other two. “Of course, that’s all relative. He’s breathing and everything.”

The cheery air suddenly dissipated, and once again everybody felt the weight of the situation press down on them like an anvil on their shoulders. Frank bit his cheek. Percy looked uncomfortable.

“Well, that’s something,” Frank intoned after a very pregnant pause. 

Hazel gave him a small smile. She absolutely adored Frank, right here, right now at this very moment, more than she usually did. He was trying so hard to make her feel better, and only he knew how to do that: give her space, let her do what needed to be done, but still show his support in little amounts by agreeing with her. Hazel felt herself relax a little bit.

“I only came up to ask if you guys have heard anything from the others.”

Percy shrugged. “Nothing. But… well, there was something.”

“What was that?” Hazel leaned forward, heart pounding. She didn’t like the tone of Percy’s voice.

Frank cleared his throat. “We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to worry.”

“What was it?” Hazel scratched at the inside of her right wrist, something she did when she was nervous.

“We did see some kind of explosion, not too far from here. It was pretty big, and we could feel it a little. It came from the direction the others were heading.” Percy stared at her, waiting for her reaction.

Hazel was trying not to panic. She swallowed hard, took a calming breath, and nodded a bit, trying to sort through this new information. “I didn’t feel it,” she finally said.

“Well, it was pretty small, and you were sort of napping.” Frank ducked his head, trying to hide the flush rising on his cheeks.

“What?” Hazel couldn’t remember sleeping at all.

Percy snorted. “You fell asleep. Frank went down to check on you after the explosion, but you were fast asleep.”

Hazel felt her mouth drop open. “And you didn’t wake me? Frank, that’s dangerous, Nico--”

Frank looked her in the eye, silently pleading her to understand. “Nico was fine, I checked him. Hazel, you’ve been up for, like, twenty hours straight looking after that kid. You needed sleep! I was gonna wake you up after a while.” 

Hazel felt a brief pang of anger and – strangely – betrayal, but then she felt herself soften. There was no way she could stay mad at Frank. “Okay. Okay. It’s okay, I forgive you.” She smiled.

Frank looked immensely relieved. He shot her a somewhat nervous grin. “So you’re not mad?”

“No, Frank, I’m not. Here,” Hazel crawled from her sitting position to scootch closer to Frank. Then she leaned her head against his shoulder in a semi-awkward side hug. He wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Alright, PDA, guys,” whined Percy, pretending to shield his eyes.

Hazel, who was usually so sensitive about that sort of thing, simply snuggled in closer to Frank – who gladly returned the gesture – and wrinkled her nose at Percy. 

Hazel took a deep breath in. Sometimes it was nice to just sit with Frank and breathe in his scent and enjoy his contact. It was nice to not have to worry. When Hazel was with Frank like this, she felt like she wasn’t obligated to worry about things. Frank could do the worrying for her. 

But even then, Hazel had too many things on her mind, and Frank could sense that. “Hey,” he said softly, concern coloring his voice, “is everything all right?”

Hazel didn’t reply right away, just buried her face in Frank’s shoulder. “I would give anything to be at home right now, just like this, with not a thing in the world to worry about.” Her voice was soft and muffled by the fabric of Frank’s shirt.

Frank made a noncommittal noise, almost a humorless laugh, and tightened his arm around Hazel. “So would I. Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”

Hazel nodded and kept speaking into Frank. “I can handle Nico being hurt, I can deal with the others missing. Of course I’m worried, but it’s not like I’m going nuts or anything. I just keep thinking about where we would be right now if we _weren’t_ part of the Seven. Right? Like, where would we be?”

Frank didn’t say anything for a second, apparently thinking. “I think – I think we would be back at camp. But… and I’m just speaking for myself here… I don’t think I’d be as happy as I am now. Does that make sense? Even though the world has gone to sh -- crazy -- and it’s more than likely that we’re all going to end up either dead or enslaved… I’m happier right now than I have been in a while.”

It was Hazel’s turn to stay silent. “Do you mean that?”

This time Frank didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I do mean that. Every word.”

Hazel emerged from Frank’s shirt. It was getting stuffy with her face in one spot. She pulled away and studied Frank’s face, and he seemed to be telling the truth. And then it dawned on Hazel: she felt the same way. “You know what’s insane, Frank?”

“What?”

“I feel the same.”

“Hey – guys, you’re going to want to see this.” Percy’s voice cut through the still air, and Hazel realized she hadn’t heard him leave. 

All nice things must end, she figured, so she climbed to her feet, helped Frank up, and rushed to the starboard rail, where Percy was leaning over the side, squinting his eyes. He saw them coming and held a finger to his lips. 

Frank drew his sword and the metallic sound echoed off the trees. He winced.

Hazel threw herself against the rail and peered out into the semi-darkness. The first thing she heard was rustling and snapping, like something very large was stomping through the trees. Hazel met Percy’s eyes, and he looked about as confused and concerned as she felt. “The others?” She mouthed.

Percy shrugged and shook his head, slowly pulling Riptide out of his pocket, but keeping his eyes fixed on the trees. 

Hazel felt her heart skip a beat as the sounds got closer and closer. Then the bushes nearest the ship rattled – and Leo fell out of the undergrowth.

Hazel felt every muscle in her body melt with relief. Leo looked relatively okay – winded, yes, but that was his fault. Hazel watched him roll over and cough, one arm slung lazily across his stomach. He peered up to the deck. “It’s them!” He yelled, and from the trees more voices answered. 

“Is it safe?” Annabeth.

“Yes. And if it wasn’t, how guilty do you think you would feel about pushing me out like that?”

Annabeth stepped carefully out of the forest. She looked down at Leo. “Not too bad,” she deadpanned. Then she glanced up at the ship. “How is everything?”

Percy’s face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas the moment he saw Annabeth. “Great,” he replied, starting to smirk. “We thought you were exploded.” 

Annabeth, the others behind her, made for the Argo. Frank lowered the gangplank. Hazel watched Annabeth. 

“Yeah, that was unfortunate. But look what we found.” Everyone was now on deck, and Hazel realized with a jolt that they had an extra person with them.

Frank seemed to have realized the same thing. He drew his sword once again and took a defensive stance, pointing the weapon at the girl, who just looked a little shocked. Her shock melted into fear and she too stood defensively. In fact, with her long sleek hair and pointed face, she sort of reminded Hazel of a bristling cat. 

“Whoa, whoa! Everyone just hold on a second!” Jason quickly moved between Frank and the girl. He held his palms out in a pacifying gesture. 

“Who is she?” Frank asked Jason, not taking his eyes off the girl.

“This is Helena,” Jason slowly explained. “She’s a half-blood. She’s here to help us.”

“In Greece?” Frank asked disbelievingly. “No way.” He didn’t lower his sword.

The girl – Helena – spoke through her teeth. “You are in Greece, yeah? Who is to say I cannot be?”

Frank shook his head. “We only just got here. Listen to you. You’re a native.”

“Come on, guys, she’s going to help us! Listen, she’s here, and she’s got a long and very believable story, so I suggest you let her administer the ambrosia she brought along – _very kindly_ , I might add. Then we’ll talk, and if you still don’t want her help, you can make your feelings known.” Jason spoke very pointedly to Frank, indicating that he was already walking on eggshells with this girl and didn’t want to jeopardize any chances they had of getting help.

Hazel took the hint, though Frank didn’t seem to. She walked up to Frank, laid a gentle hand on his forearm, and guided his sword down. “Let’s listen to them, okay? They have ambrosia for Nico.”

Frank furrowed his brow, looking conflicted, but Hazel knew that in the end his loyalty to her won out, and he dropped his stance, instead crossing his arms and looking on disapprovingly. Hazel wanted to ask why all of a sudden he was so quick to fight, wanted to sit down and try to pinpoint exactly when this change in Frank’s character had taken place, but there didn’t seem to be time.

Piper stepped forward. “This is Hazel, Frank, and Percy. Our friend who needs help – Nico – is belowdecks.”

Helena took a step back, regarding the group with steely eyes. “And your godly parents?”

Piper bit her lip. “Well, Percy’s dad is Poseidon --”

At this Helena made a noise of disbelief. “How many children of the Big Three do you have aboard this godsforsaken ship?”

“Trust me,” Piper replied. “It gets weirder. Frank’s dad is Ares – Roman. And, uhh, well, Hazel is a daughter of Pluto.”

Helena frowned. “I do not know much of Hades’ Roman counterpart. Are they much the same? This is... very unusual,” she complained.

“I know. Sorry.” Piper looked apologetic, like she was trying to get on the girl’s good side. “And Nico is a son of Hades.” 

“Hades? Lord of the Underworld?” Helena was starting to look a little angry. 

“Yeah, uhh, I mean, he’s pretty nice --”

“I do not serve Hades. I do not serve his children. Hades has ruined everything for me, he has taken everyone from me. I could not bear to look his kin in the eyes – kin that should not have even been born. I admit readily that I was hesitant to help children of the Romans, but this – this is too much. I am sorry.” She shook her head, looking at Hazel like something nasty the cat had dragged in.

Hazel felt anger rising inside her. She opened her mouth, feeling frustrated and confused. “I’m sorry,” she said politely, though even she could hear the tension in her voice, “you mean you are refusing to treat my brother because his father is Hades? He can’t help that Hades is his dad – and he’s dying! We’re all demigods, aren’t we?! So please, stop pretending you’re so high and mighty just because people you love have died, we’ve all lost people. But we don’t hold grudges. Now, there is a sixteen-year-old boy down there on his deathbed, and you’re going to help him whether you like it or not!”

Hazel knew immediately that she had crossed some kind of line. Jason looked terrified, Annabeth looked angry, and Leo was cringing. Piper’s eyes were wide. Helena must have been some kind of dangerous, but Hazel didn’t care. She hadn’t come all this way just to watch some prissy Greek demigod refuse to save Nico. She hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in almost two days. She was _furious._

For a moment Hazel thought Helena was going to just run her through with her long and considerably pointy sword, but she didn’t. In fact, she relaxed. Then she laughed. 

“What?” Hazel had half hoped she’d throw a punch or two, at least that way Hazel could get her anger out. 

“You, Hazel Levesque, you are certainly someone I would like to have on my side in a fight. Remind me not to anger you again.” Helena didn’t drop her guarded air, but she certainly looked more at home than Hazel felt.

“Wait, do you mean --”

Helena stopped laughing, but didn’t stop smiling. “Yes, I will help your brother. You children of Hades are… well, I have underestimated you. That is for sure. Now, where can I find this Nico?”

Hazel stood frozen with confusion while Percy led Helena down below. When they had disappeared, Hazel turned to Frank, who was standing near Leo, Annabeth, Piper and Jason. “What just happened?”

Frank laughed incredulously. “You just made an accidental friend, I guess.” 

\---

They were still milling about above, Jason giving them a quiet but vigorous debriefing about Helena, how they had found her, the things she had told them, the things they had talked about on the long way back to the ship.

Apparently she was from a secret resistance group, but they were all dead except for Helena. Hazel understood why she had run, but at the same time couldn’t help but let it color her opinion of the strange girl a little. She was about seventeen, which surprised Hazel – she looked twenty at least. She had ambrosia. She wanted nothing more than to watch Gaea burn. Hazel agreed with her on that. She liked skittles, hated milk chocolate and cats, and could run a 7 minute mile. 

“Why exactly were those last few things important?” Hazel asked Jason. 

Jason shrugged. “It came up. I don’t know, a seven minute mile is impressive.”

Hazel rolled her eyes. Boys.

It was about twenty minutes before Percy and Helena emerged again. Helena was zipping up a Ziploc bag of ambrosia, most of it still there. “We will give him some more tomorrow,” she explained. “That was one hell of a nasty wound he had there. Lucky you found me in time.”

Hazel stood, putting aside her disdain for Helena for Nico’s sake. “Is he doing okay?”

“He should start waking up soon. I predict that within two days he will be up and – well, maybe not running, but he will be awake.” Helena grinned, though it looked a little forced.

“Okay. Thank you, Helena. I appreciate it. We all do.” Hazel didn’t have to like her, but she had to be decent. Unfortunately. With that, Hazel left her friends to talk some more and went to sit with her brother.

Nico was still and unmoving on the bed, though some of the color had already come back to his cheeks. His expression looked less pained. Hazel lifted his sheet, slid a few fingers under his bandages, and peered under them to check Nico’s wound. It was still hard to look at, a deep gash, stark against his milky skin, though bruising had risen up around the injury. It was no longer oozing blood, and it looked less inflamed. For the first time, Hazel felt a glimmer of hope. There was no reason why the ambrosia shouldn’t work. She’d have Nico back in a matter of days. Then they could ask him what had gone wrong, what had become of the Parthenos and Reyna and Hedge. Though Hazel admittedly wasn’t too excited to have that conversation.

Hazel stood back and watched Nico for a bit, smoothing back his hair. What wouldn’t she give to protect him from this world they lived in, one that would shun them just because of their parents? What would she do to have her brother locked away in a room, safe from the monsters and the people and everything trying to hurt him? She smiled a little sadly. What an odd, unfair place they lived in. 

Hazel stood there for a bit, until Nico’s hair stuck up in a cowlick because Hazel had run her fingers over it so much. Then she stepped back, pulled up a chair, and sat, watching her brother. She intended to be there for him when he woke up. 

After a little while, Frank came down to sit with her. He pulled up another chair and laced his fingers with hers, still hesitant to touch without invitation, even after all this time. It was cute. “Is he any better?” 

Hazel smiled at him. He was always concerned about things that bothered her. “Yes.”

Frank nodded. “Lucky they found Helena, then.”

“Yeah, I guess it was.” Hazel stared ahead.

“Do you not like her?” Frank ducked his head down to meet her eyes.

Hazel shrugged. “I don’t like anyone who wants to insult my brother just because he’s a son of Hades. I hate prejudice, Frank.”

Frank nodded and squeezed her hand. “I know you do, Haze.”

Hazel smirked. “Don’t call me that. But really, Frank, I hate it. It wasn’t exactly easy being a black girl in the 30’s. And then with my mom, and how everyone thought she was a witch… it feels like the odds are stacked against me, and having the god of death as my dad is kind of the icing on the cake. I can handle it, and I’m sure Nico can too, but I don’t want him to have to be around someone who’s going to remind him of it every day.”

Frank pressed his lips together. “I know.”

Hazel leaned her head against Frank’s shoulder. “And I know you don’t really like Nico, but he’s really a good guy. You just need to get to know him.”

Frank blew a little air out of his nose, almost like a laugh. “He won’t let me.”

“I know.” Hazel rolled her eyes. Nico could be so thick sometimes.

“Hey,” Frank elbowed her. “That’s my line”

Hazel grinned. “You know, I think you’re the only one who could possibly make me laugh at a time like this.” 

Frank smiled too. “I know.”

\---

When Hazel woke up, Frank was sitting up in his chair, head back against the wall, snoring. Light filtered in through the small window in the infirmary door. Hazel figured she must have spent the night here _again_. Her fingers were still curled loosely around Frank’s. 

Hazel stretched. Frank’s hand dropped out of hers and he woke with a snort. 

“What… oh.” Frank looked panicky and confused for a second, then, after getting his bearings, stretched too.

“My back feels like _death_ ,” Frank complained. 

Hazel smirked. “You get used to it.”

Frank stopped mid-stretch and looked at her with an odd expression on his face. He looked almost sad. 

“What?” Hazel said, confused.

“Nothing,” Frank replied, but he frowned. “I just didn’t realize how much time you were spending down here. I mean, it’s not a bad thing. But… well, I could have watched him for you.”

Hazel was taken aback. “It’s okay, I want to. I want to make sure he’s okay, and you know me. I won’t get a wink of sleep unless I’m absolutely sure he’s in good hands. I’m the only person I really trust.”

Frank’s frown softened. “I get that. Just… give me a shout if you want me to take over, okay?”

Hazel nodded. Before she had drifted off she had told Frank that she wanted to be with Nico for as long as it took him to wake up. “I will.”

Frank ruffled her hair a little awkwardly – again, he was hesitant – and Hazel watched him leave. Then she turned her gaze from the half-open door to Nico. He lay in the same position as he had been in over the last couple of days, since they had moved him to the sickbay.

He looked different. His face was definitely less pale than it had been. When Hazel checked his wound, she was very pleasantly surprised: What had been a gash eight inches long yesterday was now less than four inches, and much thinner. The deepest layers of tissue had repaired themselves, so it was now very shallow compared to what it had been, and wasn’t as offensive to look at. 

Hazel felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Nico was going to wake up soon. Everything would be okay. They could take whatever he told them and go from there. Everything was going to be just fine. Smiling, Hazel picked up a book from the floor and started reading, legs crossed, not paying an ounce of attention to the book and sneaking occasional glances at her brother.

A couple times someone came down to check on her or ask if she wanted a break – Hazel suspected they were acting on Frank’s orders – and they would bring news from above: apparently nobody could figure out a plan of action of any kind, so Jason, Percy, Annabeth and Helena were deep in thought, speaking together in low voices in a huddle. Leo and Piper were on the other side of the Argo, trying to teach Frank poker. 

“Apparently I’m not missing much,” Hazel remarked after Percy finished his update, the third one that day. 

“Definitely,” Percy sighed, sitting heavily in a chair. He looked tired. “Can I tell you something?” 

Hazel studied his face. “Sure.”

“I mean,” Percy said, rubbing his neck, “I know I should tell Annabeth. But I don’t want to worry her or whatever. She’ll get stressed if I start talking to her about this stuff.”

“Go ahead,” Hazel urged, concerned for her friend.

Percy leaned forward, his forearms on his knees, and looked her straight in the eye. “It’s just, I don’t want to have to deal with this.” He dropped his head, and his black hair – shaggy now, badly in need of a cut – flopped over his eyes, blocking his expression from Hazel’s view.

Hazel felt herself frowning. This was not like Percy, this was definitely wrong. Percy was the only one who could hold himself _together_ , the only one who could literally make you laugh on your deathbed. But Hazel hadn’t heard him laugh in a while. He looked weary and weighted down. 

“Percy --”

“Like, I’ve dealt with stuff like this before,” he continued, ruffling his hair. “Maybe not on this kind of a scale, but, you know, I’ve gotten through it. Shit started sucking, and I dealt. But now… I don’t know. It all feels kind of hopeless, you know?” Percy looked up, a pleading expression on his face.

Hazel thought for a moment. “We can’t give up.”

“Yeah, I know.” Percy bit his tongue for a bit, then spoke. “Everyone’s up there talking about battle plans and attack formations, and Helena keeps going on about these dirt monsters, and they’re acting like it’s the most normal thing in the damn world. I feel like the only sane one. I mean, apparently it doesn’t bother anyone that there are only _seven_ of us, and thousands – if not millions – of them?” He said it like a question.

“We can’t give up, though,” Hazel repeated, more confident in it this time. “We have to keep going. We’ve done stuff like this before, and we’ve found a way through it. We’ll get through this. Percy, I promise we will. You just have to give us some credit.” 

Percy buried his face in his hands. “I hate feeling like this.”

Hazel wasn’t sure what to say. She hesitated. “Is - is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

“I don’t know.” Percy’s voice was muffled by his hands. He groaned. 

Hazel looked down, thinking. Then she reached out a tentative hand and put it carefully on Percy’s shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” He shook his head and shifted, but Hazel noticed he didn’t move away from her touch. 

“Okay. That’s okay. But if you want to talk about it you can. I’ll listen.” Hazel was pulling words from the top of her head, wanting desperately to make her friend feel better. Maybe it was selfish, but she liked the old Percy much more. 

Percy nodded. “Can I just stay down here for a bit?”

“Sure.” Hazel withdrew her hand and turned back to face Nico. Percy didn’t move beside her. 

Sometimes, when Hazel talked to people, she had to keep talking otherwise the situation grew so painfully awkward for both parties that one had to leave. This wasn’t one of those times. Hazel took a few deep breaths and told herself to calm down. Just because no one was talking didn’t mean it had to be tense. If Hazel could feel comfortable with the quiet, so could Percy, and that would help them both. A few minutes of this passed, Hazel growing more at ease with each. 

Finally Hazel broke the silence. “Do you have a watch?”

Percy took his hands away from his face. He still looked pretty pale. “Yeah, why?”

“I was just wondering what time it is.”

“Oh,” Percy glanced at his watch. “It’s three-thirty.” 

“I need to see Helena. Nico needs more ambrosia soon. I think with the next batch he’ll be well enough to wake up.” 

Percy nodded, understanding. “Okay. I’ll go get her for you. But… before I go, I just wanted to ask what we’re going to do with Nico… you know, when he wakes up.” 

Hazel hadn’t really thought about it. “I’m not sure. I guess we’ll just do what comes naturally. I’d like to give him some time to recuperate before we start questioning him. I don’t want to stress him out too much.”

“Yeah,” Percy agreed, “but we’re also a little crunched for time. If the Parthenos is really gone or missing, we need to know who’s got it before they do any more damage. This could be a real setback if that’s what actually happened.”

“I understand. I’ll do what I can.” 

“Also… I’d like to be there. When we’re talking to him. I guess I feel kind of obligated. I mean, I basically told him to go.”

Hazel smiled at Percy. “That wasn’t your fault. He offered to go. You couldn’t have predicted this.”

“Yeah, well.” Percy shrugged one shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Then he left. 

When Percy returned he had Helena at his side. She had her baggie of ambrosia and looked utterly emotionless. Hazel hated it; she could barely contain the storm of emotions churning inside of her, everything from anxiety to excitement, from sadness to anger. And then in came Helena, stony-faced and unaffected by the weight of the situation, and Hazel kind of wanted to punch her in the face.

Which was odd, Hazel realized. She was normally such a peaceful person. She liked to go with the flow, and that wasn’t just part of her personality, Hazel _strove_ to be like that. She was a little taken aback by her instant hatred. 

Helena muttered a greeting to Hazel, which Hazel reluctantly returned, then moved to Nico’s side and administered the ambrosia. Percy stood by the door, watching. Hazel knelt on Nico’s other side, helping where she was needed. 

Finally Helena stood back. “Okay, that is all he can take today. Is there anything else that I can do?” 

Hazel shook her head and met Helena’s eyes. “No. Thanks, though, I’ll let you know when he wakes up.”

Helena raised an eyebrow. “We will see if this son of Hades really was worth all the trouble. Are you sure he will live beyond a day? He looks pretty thin.” She swept her eyes up and down Nico’s still form.

Hazel felt herself get angry again, but forced it down. Instead, she rolled her eyes, grabbed Helena by the arm, and led her from the room. “Listen,” Hazel hissed, slamming the door and checking to ensure that the hallway was empty. “I appreciate you helping my brother, really I do, but don’t you think you might be laying on the insults a little thick?”

Helena cocked her head as if confused. “I am not sure I know what you mean.”

“Fine, okay,” Hazel said, calming her breathing a little. “I’ll put it simply. Just because Hades is his – our – father, it doesn’t mean you can keep insulting us. We didn’t choose our parents, got it? If you have to make jokes, make them about me. Not him. He’s my brother, he _saved_ me, and I owe him a lot. The least I can do for him is make sure some jackass demigod isn’t questioning his worth just because of something he _can’t control_.” 

Helena looked a little stunned. Hazel herself felt shocked. She wasn’t a physical person, and never swore. What was wrong with her?

Then Helena recovered. A new light glinted in her eyes, an angry one. Hazel took a step back and let go of Helena’s arm.

“Uhh – sorry --”

“No, you look here.” Helena took Hazel’s shirt and slammed her up against the wall. Hazel felt the air rush from her lungs and she gagged. “I did not come all this way, watch my friends and family get slaughtered, just to get threatened by some roman daughter of Hades. If you know what is good for you, you will stay away from me. As for your brother, I agree to heal him, but that does not in any way mean I have to like him.” 

Hazel caught her breath and gasped in. “I – I --”

But instead of letting her finish, Helena leaned in close to Hazel and put her lips to her ear. Hazel froze. “We will not speak of this meeting to anyone else on board, is that clear? This is between you and me. I do not plan on making any more enemies than I already have, and I can easily predict that everyone on this ship would take your side if it came to that.” Helena pulled Hazel away from the wall and shoved her away. 

“Remember, I could easily kill you and everyone else on board if I had a mind to,” Helena warned in an undertone. Then she turned on her heel and left.

Hazel stood in the hall, rubbing the bruised spot on her collarbone where Helena’s forearm had dug in. Her legs felt like jelly and her head swam as all the adrenaline left her. She braced herself against the wall.

The door opened. “I heard some banging,” Percy said warily as he poked his head out to the hall.

Hazel took a shuddery breath. For a moment she considered telling him about what had happened. “Really?” She asked shakily. “That’s weird, I didn’t.”

Percy shrugged and opened the door wider to let her in. 

Hazel gave herself a mental shake and surveyed her brother. He definitely had more color, and his eyelids fluttered. His breathing was very even and deep, and when Hazel checked his wound it was thin, mostly a red scar, shallow and delicate-looking. 

“It must be, like, extra-potent or something,” Percy mused. “I’ve never seen a wound that bad heal so fast.” 

Hazel secretly agreed, but at the moment was hesitant to allow Helena any victory.

Instead, Hazel knelt by Nico’s head. “Nico? Can you hear me? It’s Hazel. Can you wake up for me please?”

Hazel sat back on her heels, waiting. Finally, Nico stirred a little. Hazel heard Percy stop breathing behind her. 

“Nico? It’s Hazel. Can you hear me?” She repeated. Nico reacted a little quicker this time, shifting a little more and groaning. His eyelids flickered again. 

“It looks like he’s trying,” Hazel said to Percy. Percy pulled up a chair close to Nico and leaned forward. 

“Nico? Hey, it’s Percy. Could you wake up for us? Me and Hazel are waiting to see your eyes again.” Percy spoke very softly.

Nico took a deep breath and flung an arm over his eyes. “Go away,” he muttered. His voice was thin and raspy from disuse and he faded into a whisper as he spoke.

Hazel grinned. Percy actually laughed. That was the Nico they both knew talking.

Hazel spoke to him gently. “Nico, hey, come on, that’s it, let’s see your eyes. How are you feeling?”

Nico, whose eyes were fully open now, looked around the room, his gaze lingering a bit on Hazel and Percy’s faces. “Uhh, like shit, to be honest. What – hold on.” 

He pressed his fingertips to his eyes. “Let me try and remember --”

Percy leaned in. Hazel could tell he hoped to get his story soon. 

Nico winced, then gasped. Hazel’s heartbeat picked up a pace. “What, Nico, wh --”

“Oh my gods.” Nico’s eyes snapped open. He looked at Hazel, his expression melting from annoyance into fear. He sat up and leaned against his pillows with some difficulty. Pulling his knees into his chest, he rested his forehead in his palms with his elbows on his knees. 

Hazel was trying to get him to talk to her. She glanced at Percy, who looked like his worst fears had just been confirmed. 

“Nico,” Hazel tried again. “Nico, please. What’s going on?”

Nico pulled a strained face. All the color had left his cheeks, making him paler and more ashen-looking than ever. “I suppose you want to know what happened.”

Hazel saw Percy nod out of the corner of her eye, but held up her hand. Hazel put her hand on Nico’s shoulder, and for once he didn’t flinch away from the touch. In fact, it almost felt like he was leaning into it. Hazel intended to say something along the lines of ‘you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,’ but what came out was much different. “Was it bad?”

Nico squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall in between his arms, hands gripping his hair. “I tried so hard – but I just couldn’t, I had to take the Parthenos – oh, gods, this was all my fault.” 

“I’m sure it wasn’t, Nico.” Hazel tried to reassure and calm Nico, who was sounding more and more frantic with each passing moment.

Percy leaned forward, sensing danger. “Just tell us what happened. Please, Nico.”

“How do you know it wasn’t?” Nico snapped at Hazel, then glanced at Percy. He hesitated, then spoke again, and when he did, he sounded less desperate, just resigned. Hazel wasn’t sure which was worse.

“It was horrible. Well, not at first. We had the Parthenos, we were heading for America… we had to take it in stages, right, cause shadow-traveling three people and an object is kinda hard. So we were laying low cause of the Parthenos, we had found this cave-thing somewhere in France, or around there. It was pretty cold, I think we were pretty high up. And Reyna had watch, so Hedge and I slept. But then…” Nico trailed off. He was staring determinedly downward. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

Hazel glanced at Percy. He looked almost worse than Nico, practically hanging off the edge of his seat. “You can do it, Nico, and we need to know. Nobody’s going to get mad at you.” Hazel nodded to show that she agreed with Percy.

Nico shook his head fiercely from side to side. “Don’t patronize me! I’m getting to it. Just… give me a sec.” His voice shook when he continued, and he still refused to look up. “Well, Reyna woke us up just a little while later. Apparently she had been hearing some weird sounds. So we all got up and were on our guard for a while, then it happened. This – thing – just came literally out of nowhere, it was so weird. Suddenly there were twenty of them surrounding the cave and as many as they could fit were inside. The Parthenos was in the back, and we all stood around it, fighting them, but there were so many, and as soon as you killed the one, two more took its place. They were giant… ten feet tall, and it was like they were _made of dirt_.”

Hazel and Percy exchanged a look. 

“And they had these swords, but they didn’t really use them, just held on to them. Then Reyna had two on top of her and Hedge was taking on five at once and… well… I got distracted. I was closest to the Parthenos. I knew I had to do something with it. But I glanced at Reyna – just for a second, really – and the thing took advantage and before I knew it I had a sword slicing through me. I don’t really remember much about what happened after that. I heard Reyna yelling, I guess I was probably yelling too. And I was laying there, and there was blood everywhere, and she screamed at me to take it. I tried to tell her no, but she got pissed. And I don’t know how I got to it, I have no idea how I got myself to America, but I guess I was praying to my dad. He must have helped me. Because all of a sudden there I was, twenty feet in front of the Roman legion, and we were in some kind of wheat field. Some girl ran up to me, and I grabbed her shirt and pulled her down. I guess I told her what to do. Then they all ran up beside her and they had spears like they wanted to skewer me, and they were screaming about killing the Greek, so I panicked and suddenly I was back in the cave.”

Nico took a deep breath. “I – there was blood everywhere. And there was that note. And Reyna was there. Hedge wasn’t. She wasn’t moving or anything, and I could tell right away – you didn’t have to be related to Hades to see – she wasn’t breathing. But she had that note in her hand.”

Behind Hazel, Percy made a desperate noise, somewhere between a sigh and a sob. Nico grimaced. “It was all I could do to get myself here. I – I’m sorry, gods, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t --” He stopped quickly, looking like he was on the verge of being sick.

Hazel felt her heart sink into her stomach. She heard Percy get up and leave, but his footsteps didn’t echo up the stairs to the top deck, they stopped in the hall. She glanced at Nico. Tears were falling silently from his eyes onto the sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and thanks for 500 reads and all the Kudos, guys! 
> 
> There's a good chance next update will come late, break is over now and that means we're back in full swing (ew) so bear with me, I'd appreciate it. (:


	7. Chapter 7 - The Romans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Romans make a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from the viewpoint of a minor OC, mostly because I was too lazy to go back and look for any minor Roman characters from the book, and also because I like typing in italics.

_Trudging along the American Southwest, the ranks of Camp Jupiter had been sweating along for days, losing both motivation and respect for Octavian with every passing second. Emery James, member of the Third Cohort and daughter of Mercury, was complaining softly to her neighbor, trusting the sound of heavy footfalls on dusty earth to conceal the sound of her voice from Larry, newly appointed Praetor and leader of their little expedition._

_“I don’t know,” Emery sighed to Jacob. “It seems kind of pointless. There were, like, seven of them. They all seemed pretty harmless to me.”_

_“Except that one who tried to blow us up,” Jacob rebutted._

_“But what I’m saying is that are we really about to go and get ourselves – potentially killed – just to make a point? It’s ridiculous.”_

_Jacob snorted. “You know, I’ve heard rumors about them. The Greeks.”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Yeah. Well. Remember Hazel and Frank? Not to mention Jason and that kid Percy.”_

_“What about them?”_

_Jacob looked at her mysteriously, accidentally falling out of step and earning a few dirty looks. “Mind your own,” he snapped. “Perfectly good Romans, yeah? Then they fall in with those Greeks and disappear, and suddenly they’re on the opposing side. It’s not a coincidence. I can tell. And apparently the Greeks are right now, as we speak, launching an invasion of the Old Country.”_

_Emery gasped. “You don’t mean --”_

_“Of course that’s what I mean,” Jacob grinned slyly. “We’re gonna stop them before they fuck everything up and disturb world order. They want to rule. They want to stop the_ gods _from taking control. They’re fucking nuts, and if we don’t intervene now, everyone’s gonna pay the price.”_

_Emery thought about this for a moment. The Greeks were taking the Old Country for themselves. Working against the wishes of the gods. Putting everyone in danger. But still, Emery thought, something didn’t seem quite right. The Greeks that had visited had seemed genuinely surprised that their friend started firing. And Jason, Frank and Hazel hadn’t seemed so bad, certainly not like traitors._

_Maybe something else was at work._

_Of course, Emery didn’t voice her doubts to Jacob. He’d probably run her through with his sword right here and now for even suggesting that the Greeks weren’t dirty rotten double-crossing traitors._

_Emery glanced around. Everyone else marched on, stony-face, not questioning the morality of the task, not wondering if they were doomed to be fighting on the losing side, just moving, right-left-right. And so Emery James stilled her nerves and paraded on, feeling horribly like they were making a huge mistake._

_Suddenly the battalion halted and a wave of hushed whispers rose from the front of the group. “What’s going on?” Emery hissed at no one in particular, craning her neck._

_Jacob shrugged and shook his head, but he drew his sword when a shout echoed from the front. “Draw and hold!”_

_Emery felt her stomach jolt. She drew her sword, however, knowing that commands were to be followed, no questions asked._

_Another shout. “It’s a Greek!”_

_And in the period of a few seconds, chaos overtook the group. People jostled each other for a better look. Someone fell. Jacob snarled and stepped forward like he wanted to be the first to gut the new arrival. Dust rose around everyone’s feet, and instead of marching forward to leave it behind, it swirled in the air and Emery inhaled it, trying to rub it out of her eyes._

_In a few seconds Emery had her shirt pulled over her mouth and nose and the dust from her eyes had been wiped onto her collar. With a clang, she let her sword fall to the ground and ducked under someone’s arm. Jacob hadn’t noticed; he was too caught up in the rest of the seething crowd, and that was just what Emery had wanted._

_Within a few steps, Emery was at the front of the formation, though it was now just a roiling, disorganized mass. She straightened up, removed her hand from her face, and surveyed the scene._

_Kelsey Lalaine was bending over a very still figure nestled in the grass. From what Emery could see, there was something else – something big – lying near him, though she had no clue what it was. She briefly wondered why it was Kelsey checking up on the Greek (if it really was a Greek). But she didn’t get her answer._

_Kelsey gasped audibly and fell back, turning clumsily on her heel and sprinting back to Larry and Octavian, who were starting to understand what was going on, from the looks on their faces. Emery shrank back into the crowd just a bit, making herself unseen. Then she ducked under a few more arms, twirling to avoid crashing into someone, and found herself on the edge of a group of important and senior campers, all huddled around Kelsey, Octavian, and Larry, talking in hushed voices._

_“—And he had this statue thing with him,” Kelsey was saying. “He grabbed my shirt and told me we had to take it to the Greek camp as – get this – a_ peace offering _\-- and that was the only thing that would prevent war with Gaea. You know, Gaea, the most powerful being in the universe? I was like, holy shit, but I told him I would because the poor kid was covered in blood and he was frantic. He looked about sixteen or so, but when he heard you --” She shot a nasty glance at Octavian “-shouting about killing the Greek, he panicked and disappeared. Weird, right? Just – pop! Gone! Poor little guy,” she added._

_“Where’s the statue?” Octavian asked sharply._

_“Over there,” Kelsey replied, jerking her head in the general direction. “I don’t know, are we gonna do what he asked?”_

_Larry and Octavian glanced at each other. “Of course not,” Larry sighed. “Right now the Greeks are in the Old Country, trying to start a war with Gaea. We can confirm that now. But taking this statue – if I’m right, it’s the Athena Parthenos, one of the most powerful relics in history – taking it to the Greeks would only show our support for their actions. We don’t approve. They can’t stop Gaea, we can’t stop her. It’s best to just let it happen. Aggravating her could be absolutely disastrous; at least if she’s allowed to continue on her own we have a small chance at survival.”_

_Since when did Larry agree with anything Octavian said? And why wasn’t anyone willing to listen to that kid? Why hadn’t Kelsey offered to help him? Why was he bleeding? Emery shook her head, frustrated, forcing herself to listen. The time for questions would come later._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for waiting - a week late, yeah, but still, it's Wednesday. And I've decided to be nice and update two chapters because this one is painfully short and the next one is all action-y. Thanks for all the reads and nice feedback so far!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if they thought things couldn't get any worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, as promised. It'll keep you satiated (hopefully) until I can update again, though I have no clue when that's going to be. Expect another two weeks, but I'll try to hurry if I can.

Annabeth was feeling a little overwhelmed.

Alone in her stateroom, to which she had escaped after Percy had pulled her aside and told her in a shaky voice all about Nico’s story, she started planning, laying out all the facts in her mind, creating something of a mental battle diagram.

The Romans had the Parthenos. The fate of the world lay in the hands of a group of people who more than likely would rather kill them than help them. They were crippled, obligated to stay tied to the Argo while Nico recovered. They had an ally (albeit a shaky, uncertain one) who knew the land and the enemy. They had little to no contact with Camp Half-Blood and were running on pure luck at this point (which they didn’t seem to be having too much of) that reinforcements would come when the time was right. They had no idea where to begin even _looking_ for Gaea and her armies, and there were only nine of them against what could potentially be millions. Oh, and Percy was depressed. 

Annabeth groaned. Even with all the insurmountable odds stacked up against her, the thing that worried her most at the moment was her _boyfriend_. Stupid girl. But she couldn’t help it; he was starting to worry her, and, yeah, he thought she didn’t notice, but it was like he was a totally different person. He even looked different: he had lost weight in Tartarus and even though he had gained most of it back, his face was still thinner, the bags under his eyes more noticeable than ever. 

Though Percy wasn’t the only one who was changing. Tartarus had taken its toll on him obviously, but Frank was different, too, and Hazel. Even Leo seemed more subdued, and that was really unusual. Jason was his usual surly self, she supposed, and Piper was being a bit more evasive than usual, more preoccupied, though Annabeth wasn’t so sure that was much of a surprise – Greece was affecting Annabeth, too, and not for the positive.

She found that the longer the group was here, the harder it was for her to think clearly. Her thought processes got foggy and dull quicker, she was more easily distracted, and she could barely function during the day anyway because nightmares kept her up half the night. They were mostly just Tartarus flashbacks, but Annabeth supposed the land itself wasn’t really helping. 

Annabeth let herself fall back down onto her bed. Usually when she thought like this, trying to make sense of her brain and her thoughts and her memories, she got up and wandered around with her eyes closed, hands outstretched, positioning her thoughts in midair as if she would find them floating there before her when she looked again. She never did, of course, but it helped.

What they needed right now was a lead. Any lead. They were here to defeat Gaea, but there were pieces missing. They could rush in right now, guns blazing, and be dead in two minutes without even getting close to Gaea – if she did indeed choose to manifest herself in some kind of concentrated form. No, the gods had something more in mind, a plan of attack. Why else would they gather up a group of teenagers instead of an army? Whatever they were planning, the chips hadn’t fallen into the right places yet. Annabeth and her friends were going to just have to do their best to move things along.

So she waited. And waited.

Twenty-four hours later, Annabeth lay prostrate on her bed, still waiting. But what was she waiting for? She had no clue.

Annabeth rolled over and groaned at the ceiling. She was restless. Something was coming, that was for sure, but when? And _where?_

The midday sun shone through the trees again, just like yesterday, and just like it had a few hours ago when Annabeth had climbed these stairs in search of a distraction, a hint, a lead, a clue, anything. And once again, the landscape visible though the trees offered her nothing, just exposed itself in an endless, hostile cluster of meaty vegetation. 

Percy waved to Annabeth, who saw that, along with Hazel, he had managed to coax a still-recovering Nico out into the sunlight. The younger boy brooded, arms crossed, glaring at one of two things: the northern horizon or Percy. Annabeth watched his eyes shift from one to the other, only leaving Percy when he thought someone was watching his gaze. As if Annabeth couldn’t see it, hadn’t been able to see it from day one.

Annabeth waved back to Percy, but left him to his devices. She also chose to ignore Frank, Leo, Piper and Jason, who tried their very hardest to persuade her to join their poker game – apparently Frank had taken to the game quickly and was eager to flex his new ability. 

Trying to ignore their crestfallen looks, Annabeth instead picked her way across the deck to where Helena sat alone, gazing at the sky, back to the others. A faint crease puckered her brow; she seemed lost in deep thought. Annabeth knew that look well. How many times had she removed herself from her friends so she could dwell on events past? It couldn’t be helped: sometimes you just needed a moment to remember. 

Helena didn’t react when Annabeth approached. Not quite sure of what she was doing, she slid down beside Helena, trying to find with her eyes what had captivated the other girl so. 

For a long time, nobody spoke. Then, “I could have easily killed you all, you know.”

Annabeth didn’t reply right away. Instead, she chose to weigh her words, to sit on them until they were ready to slip out. “You didn’t, though. Why not?”

She glanced at Helena. She still didn’t look at Annabeth, but stared at the horizon, chewing her lip. “I wanted to. In all honesty, I did not care that you were demigods. I wanted you _out._ ” She paused, thinking. “And yet, I let you live. Why did I do that?”

It seemed to Annabeth that she wasn’t looking for Annabeth’s answer – she was asking herself. So Annabeth held her tongue and let Helena sort out her thoughts for a while.

And it was a long while. “I think… it was because I was lonely. And frightened. If there was even a chance that you were friendly, well, I think that somewhere inside me I wanted you to stay.”

“That makes sense,” Annabeth replied. “Are you okay?”

“That is an odd question.” Helena finally looked at her, stern and cold again.

Annabeth half-shrugged. “This isn’t exactly a normal situation.”

Helena allowed herself half a smile, more of a smirk really. “I will give you that. I am fine, I think. Although,” her tone changed and she shifted her body so she could sit facing Annabeth. “I cannot help but wonder; what are we waiting for?”

Annabeth groaned. “I don’t know, actually. I just keep sitting here, trying to figure it out, but I can’t, and it’s kill --”

Annabeth froze. 

“Annabeth! Percy!” 

Annabeth wasted no time. She was on her feet in a flash, skidding to a halt in front of Piper, who was supporting Frank.

“What’s going on, what’s wrong! Frank --”

Frank held up a hand. “Hold on – oh, gods, this isn’t good, this is so bad --”

Annabeth felt her stomach drop. 

Frank straightened up, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. “I think it’s going away a little, but it’s just like Hazel and Jason said --”

At this, Annabeth took off, her worst fears confirmed. She tore through the group, pushing Leo out of her way in her rush to get downstairs. 

She wound her way around the iron staircase, passing the first floor, down onto the second, through the halls and the stables, into the armory. Piles of weapons, dusty with disuse, lay sorted by type – spear, sword, dagger, et cetera. Annabeth grabbed the first armful she could and took off, back up the stairs, another flight – until she was once again on the top deck.

“What? Annabeth --”

Annabeth brushed aside the confused questions of her friends and dumped the weapons on the deck. “Take one. Do _not_ let go of it until I tell you.”

“Is this what I think it is?”

Annabeth glanced at Percy, though she saw the answer to his question already etched on his face. “Yes. And it’s coming soon. Do as I say!” She barked to the others, shocked into idleness. 

Even Helena complied. After about half a minute, everyone was perched on the balls of their feet, alert, aware, and afraid, Annabeth could tell. They stood at attention, staring hard at the edge of the trees, daring whatever was coming to appear. 

Then, off to Annabeth’s right, a sound. She spun. Across the deck, she saw Leo’s head snap to the side a little belatedly, reacting to another noise, one Annabeth hadn’t heard. Nobody moved; nobody even breathed.

Then it came. A creature, a _thing_. It burst through the trees nearest Annabeth. Annabeth staggered back – it was horrible.

A hodgepodge of rotting flesh and protruding bone, it slunk along the grass on spindly, fleshy legs in a jerky manner. Pale strings of skin barely contained the horrors underneath, and as it picked its way toward the ship on its feet and the knuckles of its hands, connected to too-long arms, Annabeth felt herself freeze.

But then she forced herself to move. She had a bow and arrow, and while she was no child of Apollo, she considered herself a pretty handy shot. Time to put that into action. She knocked an arrow, and with a quick motion, an arrow was embedded in what was probably the creature’s head. 

“What the _fuck_ was that?!” Piper couldn’t keep her voice from cracking. Annabeth was about to reply that she had no idea, but was beat to the chase by the very last person she expected.

Nico was testing out a sword of similar size to his old Sygian iron blade (she briefly wondered where it was) when Annabeth swiveled to see the speaker. “I call them Wendigos.”

“You’ve seen them before?!” Annabeth almost shrieked it at him, a combination of stress and fear culminating in a question pitched much higher than she had intended.

Nico stared at her. “You haven’t?” He asked, amazed. “They’re all over Tarta --”

This time Hazel was the one shrieking. “Another one!” Annabeth turned on her heel again, and, yes, there it was, another gangling, zombie-like mass of flesh sluicing towards the ship. 

Behind her, Annabeth heard Nico shout, “Aim for the head!” 

Hazel obeyed, hoisting her bow and taking a shot at the creature that hit dead-on, causing it to fall backwards with such force that fleshy matter exploded out from behind it.

At that moment, seven more suddenly stumbled out of the trees, almost like they were materializing, and Annabeth quickly calculated a problem. The group: nine people, three bows. Swords didn’t do much against creatures fifteen feet below you. 

“Leo,” Percy bellowed, knocking another arrow into the last bow. “Get us off the ground!”

Leo jumped into action, but Annabeth didn’t stay to watch the rest. More Wendigos were clambering across the sun-hardened ground toward the ship. Annabeth knocked another arrow, took careful aim, and managed to shoot it through one of the Wendigos’ eye socket, so it cut clean through the head and into the temple of another.

Loud thunks behind her told Annabeth that Percy’s arrows were finding targets. But they weren’t going to have ammunition forever; sooner or later, they would have to fight man-to-man.

Annabeth’s head was whirling: she knew nothing of the creatures, except that they apparently came from Tartarus, were incapable of feeling pain, and only died if you shot them in the head or heart. One of the Wendigos dragged itself along the ground, an arrow sticking out of its neck, still hell-bent on its purpose. Were they strong? If Annabeth stuck a sword through its belly, would it slice through, skin true to its appearance, or would it feel like slicing through a human – tough, sinewy, and unpleasant? 

Annabeth reached for an arrow but found none. In a swift motion, she discarded her quiver and cast aside the bow. Then she pulled out her sword. 

It wasn’t as well-balanced as her dagger, but close range just wasn’t going to cut it this time. Annabeth met Jason’s eyes. A spark of understanding seemed to pass between them, and taking his minute head nod as a signal, Annabeth leapt up onto the railing. 

She surveyed the Wendigos. A few of them were pulling planks off the sides of the ship. Somewhere to her left, Festus the dragon roared in indignation, and swept a long spit of fire across the line of attackers, scorching several of them into charred, sticky messes. But still more came. And if those Wendigos somehow managed to get inside the ship, all hope would be lost. They would be incapacitated from the inside out. 

Meanwhile, three Wendigos were now on board the ship. Annabeth felt her heart sink as one of them grabbed Leo by the arms, dragging him away from the controls, and tore its teeth into Leo’s shoulder. Leo fought, twisting and shouting, but his sword was meters away, and the rest of the crew was busy with their own Wendigo problems.

“Jason, now!” Annabeth screamed over the sounds of sword against splintery bone, over the odd, eerie ululations rising from the pack of creatures.

And then she launched herself over the side of the ship.

Impact was probably the worst part; in the excitement she had forgotten to brace herself, and consequently had all the wind knocked right out of her. A shockwave ran right up her legs and into her abdomen. Annabeth doubled over, coughing, trying to persuade her protesting body to forget the pain and fight. 

Her sword was in front of her before she was really ready, but there wasn’t a whole lot of a chance that she would survive exposed, so she adopted a fighting stance though she was still wheezing.

Annabeth whirled; her sword caught the neck of one Wendigo and its head fell to the ground with a hollow thunking noise. Cutting clean through that monster, her blade found its mark and came to a halt with a sickening crack, embedded in the ribcage of another. Annabeth wrenched her sword free and feinted downward, leaving her path to the thing’s heart free, but her mistake had cost her precious seconds. 

Hands grabbed her shoulders from behind – cold, clammy, and very strong. Annabeth felt her arms wrenched back as a Wendigo held her in its vicelike grip and sank its teeth into her upper arm. Annabeth shrieked. The teeth were razor sharp, and it wasn’t the pain that bothered her so much as the sensation of having her flesh torn from bone, muscle separated from tendons, feeling those disgusting fingers tighten with what Annabeth supposed must be pleasure. 

“Annabeth?!” A panic-stricken shout echoed from above. Percy.

“Gahh!” Annabeth felt a new wave of fear wash over her as the thing dipped its head down for another bite, simultaneously trying to fend off a few of its buddies, eager for a bite. But she used the rush of adrenaline to her advantage. New strength filled her, and with a quick, violent motion Annabeth wrenched herself free and brought an elbow to the mouth of the Wendigo. 

Teeth sank deep into the skin of her elbow, but her jab had done its job. With a sickening crack, the things’ neck snapped backwards and its grip on Annabeth’s arms came loose. Annabeth regained control of her sword and brought it cleanly down through the neck.

After that, panic and adrenaline took over. Annabeth gritted her teeth and slew monster after monster. They seemed to just keep coming; one break could prove fatal. Sweat dripped down her forehead into her eyes, but she didn’t dare pause to wipe it away. Red fleshy matter splattered her face with every strike. Her breathing was ragged and she had the world’s worst sideache. 

Minutes passed, and Annabeth whirled and ducked and jabbed and sliced and kicked and struck. She heard shouts from above her and from the other side of the ship, ground level, and she supposed it was Jason. One glimpse told her Helena had also jumped – so had Percy. 

“Is anyone still up there?” Annabeth screamed it at her boyfriend as she took the head off yet another.

Percy ran his sword through his Wendigo. “Leo – Frank, Nico, Hazel – Piper – I think that’s it!” 

Annabeth intended to reply with some kind of encouragement, but was quickly distracted. A scream tore through her throat as she passed the blade upwards through the monster’s jaw. 

“We can’t keep doing this!” Even as Percy spoke, he impaled another Wendigo, turning in one fluid motion and taking out two others.

“I - _know_!” Annabeth looked up. New rustling told her what was coming just moments before it came – at least thirty more Wendigos, each as fleshy and lanky as the next. Each with razor teeth and a thirst for flesh. 

Their flesh.

And Annabeth knew what needed to happen. She didn’t want it to happen, but Percy was shoving a sword through the back of a Wendigo that had snuck up on him and ripped a huge chunk out of his calf. As he fell, Annabeth drew in a deep breath.

Then, while she took out the Wendigo bending down to deliver the killing blow, she shouted two words, and somehow it carried above the clamor. “Demigods! _Retreat!_ ”

Percy looked up at her with frightened eyes. Annabeth shook her head. Then she grabbed his shirt and arm, hauled him up, and slung his arm over her shoulders. Percy worked on one side, Annabeth on the other, cutting a clear path to the trees.

“To the trees!” Annabeth called to the ship. 

She saw Leo grab Piper and drag her to the starboard side, away from where Jason was fighting back-to-back with Helena. Frank shoved Hazel to Leo and repeated Annabeth’s command to the pair fighting below. Meanwhile, Leo was trying to help Piper and Hazel get off the ship, though they didn’t seem to want his help at all – they smacked him and dropped down on their own. Annabeth kept going, feeling the blood from her arm soaking Percy’s shirt, and with one final push, they had left the Wendigos behind.

Annabeth dumped Percy on the ground. “Wait here,” she commanded, and turned on her heel to help the others, hoping against all hope that no Wendigos would find Percy lying there, helpless as he was.

When she broke into the clearing again, Hazel, Frank, Leo and Jason were breaking for the trees. Annabeth waved them over, clearing out a couple Wendigos while she did so. Helena, Nico and Piper still fought the Wendigos, though they were on the ground now, retreating a little farther every second. 

Finally, Nico stumbled. A monster grabbed his leg, knocking him hard over onto his back, but Helena severed its arm quickly, and killed the creature before it had time to recover. Nico did a weak little half-roll, but the impact seemed to have jarred him badly and Helena had to yank him up and onto her shoulders as yet another wave of monsters charged them. 

Annabeth was already sprinting to help Piper keep the remaining Wendigos away from Helena and Nico, though most of them had gotten the gist of their retreat and were now ripping away at the boards on the side of the ship, trying to force their way in. 

_Just twenty more steps,_ Annabeth thought desperately, begging her body to follow her commands. Blood leaked from her arm, and it was like with every drop energy left her even more. She glanced at Helena, who was almost at the trees with Nico. Her arms were also covered in bites and scratches, and her shirt was soaked in blood, hers and the creatures’. 

_Ten more, come on, come on, keep going, five more… three… one…_ Annabeth felt the shade from the trees and her legs went numb. One last strike, ten more steps farther into the foliage, and the last Wendigo was gone, dead, the rest were pillaging the ship and she _really didn’t care._

She suddenly became aware that she was laying facedown, though Annabeth was not aware of having fallen. She rolled over and a face swam into her vision – Leo’s, probably.

“She’s okay,” he announced, and quickly helped her sit up. “That’s a nasty bite – er – a couple nasty bites. Shit, all the ambrosia’s on the ship…”

Annabeth watched Leo’s face fall. He opened his mouth, and judging by the look on his face had only just realized that they had abandoned his beloved ship. 

“Leo, I have some with me if Annabeth needs --” Helena was retrieving a small Ziploc of ambrosia from her back pocket when an anguished roar echoed across the clearing.

Though Festus wasn’t visible through the thick trees, it was clear that he was the source of the horrible sound.

Leo stiffened. He stared through the trees, alarm and a deep sadness etched on his face. Annabeth opened her mouth to say something, anything, because she knew what that ship meant to him, but instead she leaned over and vomited on the ground next to her.

Annabeth paused, hands on the ground, bracing herself, waiting for another wave of nausea. Instead, another, more terrible roar, this time ending in a metallic groan reached them. Then the terrible sound of rending metal.

Leo closed his eyes. It looked like he was mouthing something, reciting it in his head. Then he blinked and shook himself, quite literally. “I – yeah, Helena, I’ll take some of that… Annabeth…” He handed the sack to Annabeth, who quietly accepted it, wiping her mouth.

“Percy has had some. So has Nico,” Helena added, a hint of disapproval coloring her voice. “You should not have let him fight like that in his condition. It could have well proved fatal. We can only hope that he will not suffer permanent damage.”

Annabeth nodded, too tired to do much but pop some ambrosia in her mouth and chew. 

For a second it was quiet as everyone surveyed the damage and tried to wrap their minds around the events that had transpired. It was shocking to figure out that only two hours ago the group had been lounging in the sun, lazy and carefree. Then Frank raised a question that made tears spring into Annabeth’s tired eyes.

“What do we do? I mean – where should we go?”

Nobody dared offer a solution. They couldn’t very well go to a hotel, even if they had money. They were covered in blood and monster guts. 

Then Helena spoke, slowly and carefully, as though weighing her words, trying to determine whether she was making a mistake.

“We will wait until night falls, then I will take you to my house. We can stay there until we have a plan.”

“Are you sure?” Percy was just sitting up, some of the color returning to his face.

Helena nodded, looking determined. “Yes. I am sure. We are allies now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said it before, and I'll say it again, thank you so much for reading - especially if you've made it this far. Thanks(:


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Progress, for the sake of progress, must be discouraged."
> 
> -Delores Umbridge, and the gods, probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's certainly been a while, but all your waiting isn't for naught, never fear! Actually, this chapter is so damn long I'm splitting it into two parts - this one's reeaally uneventful, but it's the longest one yet (??? I don't even know).

Frank wasn’t macho.

He’d never been particularly tough, or, like, robust or anything like that. He was a big softie, and he knew that, he had accepted it, and Hazel seemed to like it, so he didn’t try to pretend to be cool and surly like he knew Jason did (who was totally a big softie too, by the way, he just did a better job of hiding it). 

But right now he was, it seemed, the only one of his friends – aside from Leo – who wasn’t bleeding profusely. He refused the ambrosia square Helena offered him, citing little pain from the few scratches marking his arms. 

“There’s like, two, okay? I’m fine. Take that yourself.” Frank pushed the bag away.

Helena crossed her arms. “I have already taken some.”

“Well, then, just save that for later. We never know,” Frank added, knowing perfectly well that whether or not the gut-wrenching warning he had gotten earlier was a good sign, it was helping. 

Frank gave an involuntary shudder. It had been so unpleasant; for a horrible moment he thought his stick had been burning, but that feeling was different. Not much different, but more… spiritual, he supposed. The feeling that had attacked his gut had been very physical. 

“Is everything okay, Frank?” Hazel was wrapping up her bites, testing out a sprained ankle gingerly. 

“Yeah, of course,” Frank replied, but even he could hear the insincerity in his words. 

Hazel raised her eyebrows. Frank shrugged at her, shaking his head. _I can’t tell you here._

He saw Hazel’s face scrunch up in confusion, then relax when she understood. Then she nodded.

Annabeth spoke, interrupting them. “Frank, I hate to do this to you, but could you and Leo…”

“Say no more, of course we can,” Frank replied, referring to the fact that three-quarters of their group couldn’t walk without assistance. He shot a look at Leo, who was staring at the trees with a frown. 

“What? Yeah, of course. Sure. Hazel?” Leo jerked back into the present, held out his hand and helped Hazel up. She slung her arm over his shoulders, leaning on him, but not too much. 

Frank did the same for Percy, but they both quickly found that Percy wasn’t capable of doing more than dragging his toes on the ground and wincing. Frank almost staggered under his weight – Percy was, like, pure muscle – but found his balance. 

“Gahh – sorry, Frank –” Percy gasped as he lost his own balance and elbowed Frank in the stomach.

Frank coughed, trying to cover his pain. “Yeah, no, it’s fine,” but he kept a better grip on his friend after that. 

The going was slow. Painfully so. Even with Leo, Frank, and Helena helping the others along, everyone was exhausted, and they made it only a mile or so before they had to stop. Annabeth was the first to collapse, and a few others did the same. Percy was looking ashen gray and pretty green, which Frank guessed was a bad sign, and though Nico had woken up again, being carried across someone’s shoulders with a bad side wound had left him pretty worse for wear. Actually, Helena set him down gently, but he immediately rolled over and threw up. 

“Frank – Frank, let me down –” Percy was panting. A sheen of clammy sweat glistened on his forehead. Frank, who was feeling pretty achy himself, bent down painfully and helped Percy sit. 

Frank felt his muscles seize up and he winced as he flexed his arm. Percy saw this and muttered a weak apology, but didn’t have the strength to much more than flop onto his back and try to catch his breath. Annabeth was limping too, but she had fought like fucking _Hercules._ Frank had never seen her do anything like that before – it was a little terrifying, even though he was a son of the god of war.

Frank, of course, had reviewed his own performance, and come to the conclusion that it was less-than-satisfactory. _Son of the war god_ , he thought, and scoffed, _you killed what, two? And you didn’t even stay behind to fight. You booked it to the trees as soon as you could._ He groaned inwardly.

He sat. Everyone was resting, except Hazel of course, who was perched on her heels, tending Nico. For a moment, he considered going to her and offering his help, but thought better of it. She was too deep in thought. And he always felt awkward intruding on their relationship. To Frank, Hazel seemed a little weirdly codependent, but he supposed she had never had a brother or even really a family to be close to. Plus, he had rescued her from the Underworld, so she was super grateful. 

Understandable. Not Frank’s place to be.

The air became silent, filled only with the slow breathing of the recovering group and the hushed whispers of Hazel as she persuaded Nico to sit up again.

“We need someone to keep watch.” Annabeth’s speech sounded groggy, as if she had drifted off and quickly jerked back awake. Frank glanced at her. She was still lying down. 

The last thing Frank wanted to do was stay awake and dwell on his mistakes any longer, but he felt it was the right thing to do, retribution for his half-assed fighting earlier. Plus, someone had to do it. They weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. “I’ll do it,” Frank offered. 

To his immense surprise, Leo also sat up. “Me too,” he intoned. His voice sounded dull and lacked inflection, like he was trying very hard to keep emotion out of it.

“Are you sure?” Piper, looking concerned, but not sitting up to take his place.

Leo nodded. “I don’t think I could sleep anyway.” He gave a weak smile, but Frank felt a sudden pang of concern for his friend. 

There was a silence. Apparently everybody was feeling the same way: unsure of what to say or do to make Leo feel better. Frank realized with a horrible jolt that nobody had even acknowledged what had happened, expressed their sympathy, offered him a few words of comfort. He watched Piper and Hazel exchange an uncomfortable glance. 

Piper pursed her lips, and for a moment it looked like she was going to say something. She even opened her mouth, but stopped herself. Leo wasn’t even looking at her. He was sitting against a tree, arms crossed, and it looked like he was biting his cheek. After a while, he glanced back at everyone and seemed to only just realize that everyone was looking at him.

“What? Is there something wrong?” He cracked a confused smile, furrowing his brow. “Oh. Don’t worry about it, guys, seriously, the last thing we need is a therapy session.”

He stared at his friends, and they stared back. Well, most everyone. Helena and Nico were passed out. Jason was drifting in and out of sleep, weakly propped up on his elbow. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, Leo?” Piper wasn’t buying it. 

Frank, personally, would have loved to just leave it. Leo said he was fine, and yeah, he probably wasn’t, but if it was Frank telling everyone so blatantly to leave him the fuck alone, he would have appreciated it if everyone respected that. Plus, the silence was extending again and the awkwardness was almost palpable. 

Leo shook his head, looking incredulous. “It’s fine. Guys, I’m not lying. Just… leave it, okay?”

Piper still looked suspicious, but thank the gods, she left it. “Okay. Okay,” she added, softening her voice a bit.

Leo turned back to the trees. Piper lay back down, closing her eyes. She didn’t look too troubled, Frank thought. 

Frank found his own tree on the other side of the little clearing and sat himself down, settling in for a long, rough night. He wasn’t planning on waking anyone to switch shifts, either, they were all too exhausted. In fact, within minutes, their makeshift camp was full of the sounds of snoring. Hazel kept rolling over and checking Nico’s pulse, but after about an hour was out cold. 

The sun finished its descent and the moon was soon visible. And shortly after that, the term ‘out cold’ became all too appropriate. Compared to the humid heat of the day, Greece’s night had become bitterly cold. Almost too cold. 

In fact, much too cold. Frank became aware of that right after he realized their breath was freezing – he could see little white puffs of breath in the faint moonlight. The temperature was below freezing. 

In Greece. In the middle of summer.

Frank brought his fists together, unconsciously wanting to crack his knuckles, but found that the cold air had stiffened his joints. He could barely unclench his hands. He brought them to his mouth and blew warm air into his hands.

“Leo,” he hissed, deciding that this was getting ridiculous. “Leo, are you awake?”

A grunt from across the clearing told Frank that he was. “This cold is bizarre, right? Or does Greece’s average May temperature usually plunge into the subzero?” He sounded grouchy.

Frank turned to face Leo’s side of the clearing, and saw that Leo, too, was emerging from behind his tree. “Should we wake the others?”

In the faint light, Frank could see Leo bite his cheek, thinking. “Maybe. I mean, otherwise they’ll freeze.”

Frank was thinking along those lines. Percy, who was curled up nearest him, was already shivering pretty hard. Frank reached out his hand and took Percy’s shoulder. “Percy,” he whispered, shaking him just a little. “Wake up, dude.”

Leo had crawled to Hazel and was doing the same. Frank heard her groan and saw her outline as she sat up. “I – I wh – what are y – you doin – ng?” She was already shivering.

“Sorry, Haze, it’s too cold.” Frank felt a pang of sympathy for his girlfriend. 

At that moment, Percy shouted and sat up, reaching for his sword. “Gahh! What’s going on? Frank? Holy shit, it’s cold.”

Frank put his hands on his friend’s shoulders, trying to calm him down – he was still looking around wildly, trying to figure out why Frank had woken him. “What’s going on? What did you hear? You did hear something, didn’t you?”

Frank let go, because Percy was going limp again, still not fully recovered from this afternoon’s blood loss and dizzy from sitting up too fast.

“No, we didn’t hear anything, but it’s really cold. We didn’t want you guys to freeze.” Frank shrugged.

Percy let himself fall onto his back. “Dude.”

“What?”

“What the fuck. It’s May.”

“ _Language, Percy_ ” Hazel hissed from across the way.

“I know,” Frank replied to Percy, choosing to let Hazel’s comment go in order to focus on the issue at hand. 

A few feet away, Jason, Piper and Helena were slowly ascending from their deep, exhausted sleep, sleepy stretches morphing into waves of intense shivering that hit them without warning. 

“Gods,” complained Piper, rubbing her upper arms, but it was lost in a chorus of groans and shivers. 

“This is so wrong,” Percy stated. “Something’s going on.”

Annabeth found him and sat down nearby so they could talk. Frank joined their conversation. Hazel was with Nico and Leo was trying to console the others, who were grouchy, needless to say. Frank decided his place was probably with the two people who were actually capable of making a decision.

Not to say that everyone else wasn’t smart, or seasoned, or battle-oriented, because they were, and that was what made the team so effective, but Percy and Annabeth had kind of taken on leadership roles in the past few weeks. Though now Annabeth was waving Helena over to join them, and Frank wondered how that dynamic would change as Helena proved herself to be more and more useful.

Helena was shivering. She looked pale and a little weak, though that wasn’t much of a surprise, given her injuries. She held her left arm gingerly – Frank guessed she had used that one to block most of the attacks by the Wendigos earlier.

Percy turned to her as she took a seat. “What do you think about all this?” He waved his hand, indicating the ridiculous cold.

“Not normal, I can say that for certain,” Helena said thoughtfully. “Though I do not know what it means. I have never encountered this.”

Annabeth looked like she was deep in thought. Finally, breaking the silence, she spoke to the whole group, who had abandoned their grumbling and migrated over to where the brainstorming was happening. “I think… well, I might not be right, but wouldn’t it make sense that everything’s screwed up? All of a sudden there’s an army of goons straight from Tartarus, not to mention the fact that the universe’s most powerful being is gathering her armies. Greece is probably only just starting to experience a whole flux of problems, electrical and environmental and whatever else you can pull out of your hat.”

Silence met her words because everyone knew they were right. Frank didn’t really want to believe that what had happened that day was a small taste of what was to come, but he couldn’t deny it – the Wendigos were like machines, bloodthirsty and disgusting, yes, but they got the job done without much fuss. 

“Well, then, maybe we should try and get a move on while we still have the dark to cover up for us.” Hazel spoke from behind the group. Apparently her brother wasn’t being responsive.

“No,” Jason countered, still sounding a little groggy. “No, that would give them perfect grounds to ambush us. We’re weak and outnumbered. The last thing we need is to not be able to see.”

Annabeth made a dissenting noise. “We’re weak here, and exposed – to the elements and the enemy both. We need to move, Hazel’s right. If we can get to Helena’s before daybreak, we can just sleep all day. Gods know we deserve it.”

Frank nodded; that made sense, plus he wanted to side with Hazel. He rolled his eyes when Piper took sides with Jason. “What about Nico? We can’t move him, we’d kill him.”

Hazel cleared her throat. “No, it won’t. I’ll keep an eye on him. We can carry him, he won’t be cumbersome. He’s really light,” she added when Piper raised an eyebrow.

Percy looked around at Leo, who was staring at the ground, not listening to a word they said. His hands weren’t fiddling with anything, which Frank found weird. Percy obviously thought it best not to disturb his friend, so he turned to Frank.

“What do you think?” 

Frank bit his lip. The last thing he wanted to do was break what was looking like a tie – what if he turned out to be wrong? – and the second last thing he wanted to do was make enemies with Jason. Piper he could live with. But, ugh. He just wanted to stay out of it.

“I think we should go now.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. Jason raised his eyebrows and shook his head. Piper shrugged.

“Helena?” Percy glanced at the dark-haired girl, who was tracing what looked remotely like battle plans on her jeans.

“We should go, I think. But we must be careful. Like Jason and Piper have said, we do not know what could be laying in wait in the shadows.” She stopped tracing and picked at the fabric of her socks instead.

“Well then, it’s decided,” Annabeth concluded, clapping her hands together. “Frank, could you take Nico for a while?”

Frank was getting tired of being the carthorse, if he allowed himself to be completely honest. Then he shrugged it off. He was strongest, and he had the fewest injuries. It only made sense. “Sure, I’ll take him.” 

He got up and knelt by Hazel while his weary friends were arming themselves once again, stretching the stiff chill out of their fingers. “How is he?” Frank found himself asking that a lot, he realized.

“Fine,” Hazel replied, not looking up.

 _Come on, come on, just look at me, Hazel, it’s not that hard._ Frank couldn’t help it – Hazel’s tunnel vision was just pissing him off. 

“Okay, then, how are you?”

“Me?” asked Hazel, looking surprised. “Why?”

“Because all you do is take care of this kid,” Frank explained. “You give up all your time for him. It’s amazing, really, but… gods, Haze, when are you gonna start thinking about yourself?”

Hazel crossed her arms and sat back on her heels. “I don’t know, Frank, maybe when you stop mooning over _her._ ” Hazel jerked her head in Helena’s direction.

Frank was totally taken aback. “Woah, what? Helena?” He dropped his voice another octave.

“Yes, her. She’s… she’s horrible, Frank. And you guys are over there rubbing shoulders – it just gets to me. I’m sorry I bit your head off like that.”

Frank shook his head, trying to process this bizarre turn of events. “It’s not a problem, Haze, really, but – jeez. What’s so horrible about her?”

Hazel pursed her lips and turned away from Frank, fiddling with the edge of Nico’s makeshift pressure bandage. “It’s silly, really.”

“What? Haze, talk to me.”

“She – she… well, it’s not really something she did,” Hazel explained slowly, hesitantly, and Frank instantly got the feeling that she was keeping something from him. “She just keeps – insulting us. The children of Pluto. And the Romans. She’s prejudiced, and you know how that makes me feel.”

Frank frowned. “Is that all?”

Hazel took a deep breath, hesitating again. “Y-yeah. Yes. That’s all.”

“You’re a horrible liar, Haze,” Frank muttered, feeling a little irritated. The talk had achieved the exact opposite of what he had hoped.

“What?” Hazel hadn’t heard him.

“Nothing,” Frank sighed. “Listen, they’re going, we should probably catch up.” 

Frank bent down and scooped Nico up – Hazel was right, he was terribly light, and for a moment Frank felt a little twinge of sympathy and concern. But he brushed it off. _Focus, Frank_ , he chanted to himself.

The going was slow, but not quite as painfully slow as it had been earlier. Percy and Hazel could now walk with assistance, though Frank noticed Percy stumble a few times on the bushy undergrowth where he normally could have easily avoided tripping. 

They reached the main road fifteen minutes in. The land was all new to Frank, but Annabeth, Jason, Leo and Piper seemed to know it well, having traveled it twice. Once they found the road they kept to the trees, because it had to be approaching one in the morning and they didn’t know who – or what – would be lurking around.

They passed a few dots of blackened debris, which Frank guessed came from the explosion – had that been only two days ago? Annabeth winced when they passed the torched remains of a grayish chair, the kind that sits in waiting rooms, by the looks of the fabric. 

By the time they had reached the highway, Frank’s arms were burning and Nico was still hanging there, a dead weight. 

When they reached the first house, Frank doubted whether he would ever be able to lower his arms again. His friends looked positively ragged. Percy was limping heavily, leaning on Annabeth once more. Helena looked dead on her feet. Jason was literally shaking his head back and forth in an effort to stay awake. And Leo just shuffled along, still staring determinedly at the ground.

“One more mile, guys,” Annabeth hissed as they found themselves forced out of the woods onto the main road. “Try not to look too sketchy.”

Frank barely heard her last words. _One more mile? Might as well be twenty._

Once they had reached the city, the main focus was to not look like a ragtag group of dirty teenagers sporting swords, war wounds, and a disconcertingly dead-looking body. Percy wasn’t allowed to lean on Annabeth anymore. Frank had to try to shift Nico so that carrying him looked more natural. Whatever the hell that meant. Frank was pretty much done trying to decipher Annabeth’s cryptic words by the time they came to a halt in front of a shack.

“You have got to be fucking _kidding me._ ” Generally he tried to keep the language to a minimum for Hazel’s sake, but – seriously? A damn shack? Frank had pretty much reached the end of his rope.

“Look again, dude,” Leo muttered as they approached. 

Frank blinked hard and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, there stood before him a pretty decent – if not cryptic-looking – gray house. 

“What? When did that – what?” Frank looked around him towards his friends. Nobody bothered to answer his question, trusting him to figure it out on his own. After a few moments of deep thought, he did, though he really had been up for much too long to be answering questions like that. 

The interior of the house looked more like a hotel than anything. A long stretch of hallway opened up on the far end into what Frank suspected was a kitchen area, while the entire hall was lined with doors. Frank also saw, in the dim light, that a balcony hallway wrapped around the upper story, creating almost a pit within the house. That, too, had doors lining the walls, though the paneling and flooring up there looked decrepit, and Frank decided he probably wouldn’t be going up there if he had to. 

Helena led the group as they shuffled single-file down the hall. 

“Uhm, sorry, but is this _blood_?” Frank came to a sudden halt behind Percy, who was staring incredulously at the floor. A quick glance downward made Frank jump – a huge puddle of what really, really looked a lot like dried blood stained the floor. Frank let out an involuntary shudder, and one of Nico’s legs flopped over Frank’s arm. 

“Probably not,” Hazel called from the back of the group, “probably just paint or something. Now, can we please move?”

“No, Hazel, this is really bad-looking,” Frank tried to shift Nico and describe the offending puddle at the same time, making his words come out all groany. 

“Uhh… sorry, guys, that’s mine,” Jason winced as he glanced back to where the others were examining the spot.

Leo coughed. “Jesus, Jason, bring a tampon next time.” He kept his voice low, but Frank and Percy heard him and snorted.

“What happened?” Hazel shrieked, getting a glimpse of the blood for the first time.

“Long story,” Jason groaned, and waved them onward. “Tomorrow, okay?”

Frank shrugged, and he guess Hazel was too tired to pursue it, because she followed him without much complaint. Helena led the shivering, exhausted group into the kitchen area – though a twisty hallway and another door; Frank had been right – where those who could make it there pulled up a chair, and the others simply collapsed on the ground, sliding down the walls until their bodies came to a halt.

Frank couldn’t sit, though he wanted to – oh, he really wanted to. He sort of held Nico out, too tired to hold him much longer but too polite to ask what he should do about it. Helena, who was slung weakly over a chair, gestured at the door to the hallway.

“First door on the left. Should be unlocked. Put him on the bed, make him warm, join us again when you are finished if you wish.” She let her hand fall to her side and her head flopped down so her chin rested on her chest.

Frank did as he was told, finding the first door on the left, coaxing it open with his elbow, and setting Nico on the musty bed as gently as he could, coughing when a little puff of dust rose around him. Frank’s arms screamed at him as he slowly stretched them out, begging them not to seize up. Gods, he was gonna be sore tomorrow.

As Frank turned to leave the room, he tripped on something: a pile of clothes. The light wasn’t on, so he couldn’t make out any details, but they were definitely clothes, and definitely not Helena’s. 

Of course Frank thought this was odd, and of course he would have investigated if he hadn’t been so damn _tired._ But even as he kicked the pile with his foot, his eyes started closing, and he too succumbed to the power of sleep, thinking that whatever it was could wait till the morning.

\---

When Frank awoke the next morning, the first thing he noted was the lack of dreaming he had done. Demigods always had dreams, always. And since they had been in Greece, most of Frank’s dreams had evolved into terrifying nightmares. He blamed his utter exhaustion from the night before.

The second thing he noted was that he was no longer in the room with the clothes. In fact, he was in his own little bed, tucked safely in, sunlight streaming in through the curtains. He briefly wondered what time it was.

As if in response to his question, Frank’s stomach growled loudly. Frank sat up, feeling a little dizzy – jeez, how long had he slept? – And then he became hyper aware of the pain in his arms. Frank winced. Today was going to be borderline hellish. 

Frank slipped out of the covers, which were neat, but dusty, and stretched as he stood, wishing he could find some new clothes to wear. The ones he was in now were sweaty and dirty and musty and bloody. Not to mention torn. But he had nothing, so he conceded and shuffled out of the room stiffly. 

The hall was brighter now than it had been last night, but the kitchen was downright cheery. Curtains were still drawn, but they made the sunlight a pleasant yellow golden color, and the smell of frying bacon, sausage, and pancakes was almost too much for Frank to bear. Still stretching his arms, he found a spot at the table, where Jason, Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Leo and Helena all sat scarfing down a hearty breakfast.

“Hey, Frank, come sit down,” Percy invited through a mouth thick with pancake. “There’s lots.”

Frank wasted no time in scooting his chair closer to the buffet and loading his plate as fast as his sore arms could let him. He winced as he picked up a jug of orange juice, feeling his biceps tightening painfully. 

“Sore, huh?” Piper laughed, and Frank just grinned, unable to talk, his mouth full of food.

It was amazing the difference a day could make. Laughter filled the air and mingled with the smells of good, rich food, and sunlight added an ambiance of friendly ease to the atmosphere. When Nico shuffled in, accompanied by Hazel, even his weary face broke into half a smile. Frank watched him collapse into a chair and pick at a plate of food while Hazel sat herself next to Frank and dug in.

“Gods, this tastes good,” she groaned. “So, what even happened last night?”

Piper laughed. “Me and Leo spent the night in the hallway; we didn’t even make it to our rooms. Percy got Frank off the floor after he passed out –” Piper glanced at Frank and laughed even harder, “And then barely even made it to his room before he collapsed. I woke up with such a sore neck, you wouldn’t believe it.” 

Frank flexed his triceps, feeling the muscles stiffen painfully. “Oh, I believe it,” he countered. Everyone laughed at that. 

All in all, Frank thought later while he was picking out clothes, it had been a good morning. The first good one in a long time, and probably the last one for a while. The clothes that had littered Nico’s bedroom, Frank had discovered, had belonged to Helena’s friends. Their rooms had been left alone after they died, Helena explained, but this was for the greater good, and the demigods were allowed to sift through the items of clothing until they found something that fit. It was awfully nice of her.

When he was showered, shaved, and shined, (trying to decipher the bathroom products from the corner store – labeled in Greek and sometimes in really bad English – had been one of Frank’s biggest adventures yet) Frank entered the kitchen area again, hungry and feeling pretty rejuvenated. Jason and Leo were sitting comfortably at the table, having already gotten ready. 

Frank glanced at his watch. “My schedule’s all off. I want lunch, but it’s, like seven at night.”

Jason nodded. “I know what you mean, dude. But let’s just enjoy the peace while we can.”

Frank gave him a questioning look. 

“Annabeth told us that as soon as everyone is all clean and stuff, we’re going to ‘sit down and formulate a serious plan of action.’ Her words, not mine.” 

Frank groaned. “We can’t have one day of rest?”

Jason shrugged. “Apparently not.”

“The thing I can’t figure out,” Leo chimed in, “is what we’re even supposed to do now. Like… what are we looking for? Are we, like, waiting for something?”

“I’m pretty sure Annabeth doesn’t know much more than the rest of us,” Frank agreed. “I have no clue.”

Jason groaned and let his head fall onto his arms, which were folded on the table. “We’re fucked, guys.”

Leo snorted. “You’re just now getting that? Dude, this whole thing is gonna get a whole lot suckier before it gets any better.” 

“Pleasant, Leo,” Frank sighed. “You guys know what I want?”

Jason looked up. “What?”

“Call me crazy, but I just want my old shower back.” Frank kicked out another chair and perched his feet on it. 

Leo laughed a little incredulously. “Let me get this straight. Our lives have gone to shit, and instead of wanting, oh, I dunno, a sense of stability or –”

“—No, hear me out,” Frank protested at Jason and Leo laughed. “Did you guys have any clue what the fuck any of that stuff was? In the bathroom. Do not tell me you weren’t wondering what you were putting in your hair.” 

Jason and Leo laughed harder. “Dude,” Leo gasped, “never change. ‘Kay?” He didn’t elaborate. 

Frank crossed his arms. He still didn’t get what was so funny. He jumped when Piper’s voice sounded from the doorway.

“What’s so funny?” She sounded accusatory. 

“Nothing, Pipes,” Jason grinned, trying to control himself. “Just having a laugh.”

“Well, gods know you need one.” Piper cracked a smile too. 

Slowly, the rest of the group filed back into the kitchen, looking clean and happy but not content. Nobody wanted to worry about Gaea right now. They had just recovered from her last attack, and had suffered badly because of it. 

“We need to get down to it,” Annabeth told them. “We don’t have much time.”

“Any estimate on when this apocalypse is coming?” Piper asked.

Annabeth thought for a moment. “Not really. But, guys, take a moment to think. What’s coming up?” 

Silence met her words. Annabeth looked disappointed. “Okay, if you don’t know, take a wild guess. Percy?” She looked at her boyfriend, who jumped at the sound of his name.

“Uhh… June? I really don’t know, I’m sorry.” Percy scratched the back of his neck.

But instead of looking exasperated, Annabeth nodded eagerly. “Right, June. Percy. Come on, what happens in June?”

It sounded like Annabeth thought that Percy of all people should know the date she referred to. Frank briefly wondered if it was her birthday, but no, that couldn’t be it. 

Then Percy gasped – apparently understanding. “The Solstice!” 

Annabeth grinned and nodded. “Exactly.”

“Just like…” Percy frowned, but Annabeth seemed to be concealing a smile, or a look of nostalgia. “Weird. Do you really think it’s going to happen then?”

Annabeth shrugged. “It’s what I would do if I were her.”

Percy shrugged too, conceding. “Ha! That’s almost funny, compared to…”

“Yeah, I know, the last time we had that deadline? Jesus, it’s been a while.” Annabeth laughed, and Percy joined in. Frank, of course, had no clue what was so funny. Judging by the looks on the others’ faces they felt just as lost. 

“Okay, really though, guys,” Annabeth said, returning to business. Her face immediately got serious, and Frank decided he liked it much better when she was happy. “We’ll assume Gaea is going to release the brunt of her forces on the Summer Solstice, when her power is at its peak. Which means we need to find out exactly what her plans are and do what we can to stop her. I’m not gonna lie, it’s probably going to be hard, and those Wendigo things… well, they’re only the beginning, if what I’m hearing is true. The cold last night, and the fact that it’s now like, 80 degrees out, isn’t really a good sign. I’m talking, like, apocalypse stuff here.”

Piper winced. “I was just kidding.” 

“And I wasn’t,” Annabeth told her, looking apologetic.

Frank felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. Annabeth sounded pretty final about it, and Annabeth was rarely wrong. 

The meeting was quickly adjourned. “I suggest you all go back to bed. I’ll stay up with Percy and talk stuff over, get a plan of attack going. Seriously. Get some more rest, the next few days aren’t going to be easy.” 

On that grim note, Frank went to bed and promptly passed out. 

His dreams were choppy and troubled. Maybe it was the weird food, maybe there were weird ingredients in the shampoo. Whatever it was, Frank woke several hours later, tangled in his sheets and sweaty, chest still heaving from what he supposed had been a nightmare, though he could remember none of it. His watch told him it was one in the morning. 

Frank plopped back down on his pillows, feeling shaky. It took him a moment, then he realized he was hungry. Of course. Frank was always hungry. 

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and felt the cold floor under his too-warm feet send shivers up his spine. Gritting his teeth, Frank forced himself to shuffle across his room to the door, which creaked open to reveal a totally empty hallway, the lantern-like lights fixed on the walls flickering disconcertingly.

“It’s nothing,” Frank hissed, trying to reassure himself – something felt very off. Almost like there was a voice whispering in his ear to be on his guard. 

“Nothing,” Frank repeated, though this time he was less sure. He kept going, on his way to the kitchen, though he felt distracted, not totally sure of his original purpose. 

“Ah, fuck it,” Frank finally conceded, feeling more and more like something was wrong. He spun around – his sword was in his room, and it was better to be safe than sorry. 

His room was colder than normal, and Frank blamed that on the outside temperature, which must be dropping rapidly, he figured. His sword glinted in the corner and when he picked it up it felt warmer than it should. 

“Shit. Shitshitshit,” Frank whispered under his breath, knowing now that something was wrong. As he turned to make a quick patrol around the house to check on everything and everyone, he heard a scream and a surprised shout from the kitchen area, both of which quickly turned into panicked yelling. Frank’s heart leapt into his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll, so the next one shouldn't be too far behind, and it's probably not going to be very long, but it will be pretty intense (at least that's the plan). So yeah, that's pretty much it. Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank's gonna have a dirt phobia after this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? I don't have a good excuse, sorry.

Frank didn’t want to give away his position, but he couldn’t help himself; he was shouting Annabeth's and Percy’s names as loud as he could as he sprinted for the kitchen, his heart pounding. More shouting came from the bedrooms as a loud crash shook the house. 

Frank reached the kitchen just in time. He didn’t stop to ogle at the monster, which was pretty horrifying, in an earthen kind of way. But the first thing that Frank registered was how freakin’ _huge_ it was. It wasn’t fair. And as it moved, its form shifted, stretched out and got taller and thinner, then shrunk back down – short and thick again, adapting easily to the change in ceiling height. 

The second thing Frank realized was that this was no ordinary monster. It was, like Helena had said, made of loosely packed dirt. Little piles of dirt sluiced off its body as it lifted its arms. It had beady little eyes that glared menacingly out of the sides of its head, but no recognizable anatomy (probably a good thing) other than appendages. It also lacked a mouth, but emitted a low groaning that sent shivers down Frank’s spine. It held a short sword loosely in its hand-thing, but didn’t seem too interested in it as the monster brought its trashcan-lid-sized foot down next to Frank, preferring to use brunt force. 

Frank made an ungainly leap to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the monster. “Percy!” He shouted above the roar of the angry creature, trying to find out if his friends were okay.

“Frank?” It was Annabeth, shouting from behind the monster, sounding a little panicky. 

“Frank?!” Percy’s voice came, too, from the back of the kitchen, and he sounded more panicked than Annabeth. 

“I’m here –” Frank swung at the monster as it whirled around, zeroing in on Frank again. “Are there more?” 

The monster roared and convulsed. Frank could see the writhing mass of earth that made up its torso split, and caught a glimpse of Percy’s sword through the dirt. Percy had stabbed it, but the monster didn’t disintegrate.

“No,” Percy replied, slicing, feinting, ducking, and slicing again. Each time, his sword only went right through the creature, apparently not doing much more than angering it.

“How do we kill it?!” Frank shouted as he lopped off its arm – at least, he should have lopped off its arm, but the soil was unaffected. Frank groaned. 

“I don’t know!” Annabeth was whirling around the monster, jabbing and poking, trying desperately to find a weak spot. 

Frank took another jab. A huge earthen fist shook the ground right beside him, and Frank felt himself lose his balance. He stumbled and fell, and his sword clattered across the floor away from him. The monster didn’t waste any time, and as Frank scrambled backward, it brought its fist down again, this time closer. One blow from one of those could easily break most of his ribs or snap his legs or spine. Frank rolled and the monster advanced. 

CRASH. Another bang. Frank winced as the monster started in on him, getting smart, learning to predict Frank’s actions. Every time he tried to get back on his feet, the thing would shake the floor again and Frank would just topple over again, unable to keep a firm footing. 

Percy and Annabeth were trying desperately to stop the creature, but their attacks just didn’t do anything. Frank found himself wishing bitterly that they had thought to ask Helena or Nico how to kill the things, since apparently normal swordwork wouldn’t do it. Frank’s vision was working in overtime, thanks to the adrenaline in his brain. One move, the next move, duck, roll, slice, duck again, one after the other Frank’s body seemed to work of its own accord. 

One mistake was all it took.

Frank had barely had time to process what had happened – he thought his duck had been a little late – before he was on the ground, spots dancing before his eyes, all the air gone from his lungs. He coughed and tried to roll over, but his head felt like it was splitting in two, and as his vision cleared, Frank felt his stomach lurch. The monster was right there – this was it, this was the end – Frank squeezed his eyes shut.

But instead of the painful, crushing blow he had expected, Frank was caught in a rain of dirt. It came down in a big pile, but softly, and it didn’t hurt, but it did cover his mouth and nose. When Frank opened his eyes in surprise, it filled those too. Frank now found a new reason to panic – there was no earth monster, but he was suffocating under what was probably 500 pounds of earth. He wriggled until he had cleared out a small pocket of air and curled onto his side, trying to figure out what to do next.

A few seconds later, Frank felt a hand on his arm, and he followed the touch with his eyes shut tight. More hands grabbed him and in just a few seconds he was free, stumbling down a veritable mountain of earth and coughing dirt out of his mouth. Percy, Annabeth, Helena, and Piper were standing nearby. “Gods,” Frank spluttered. “How did you kill that thing?”

Piper and Helena looked like they were going into shock. “What was that?!” Piper screeched. 

Helena looked just as frightened, but it was a different kind of fear. “We have to leave. Where there is one, many more will follow.”

More voices sounded now, apparently roused by the noise long enough to notice that something was very wrong. Jason stumbled in first, followed closely by Leo, Hazel and Nico. 

“What…” Hazel tried to process the scene in front of her. 

“Earth-monster,” Frank explained to her, “one of Gaea’s.” He glanced at the faces of his friends. They varied from utterly incredulous – Leo – to grim recognition – Nico. 

“I have a question,” Percy asked, looking a little lightheaded, “how did you kill it?” He directed this question at Annabeth.

“Well, I was just kind of randomly stabbing it, I knew there had to be some kind of weak spot… and I found it.” Though Annabeth didn’t look pleased or even relieved. On the contrary, she looked worried and even a little scared.

“Well? Where was it? We should all know, just in case.”

“I can answer that,” Helena butted in. “The small of the back. Right here.” She turned around and pointed to a spot right at the base of her spine.

Frank started nodding – it was valuable information – but stopped, because he had just caught the look on Percy’s face. Like he was trying very, very hard to stay calm, but it wasn’t really working. He looked ashen and pale. His hands clenched and unclenched – he glanced at Annabeth, and she stared right back at him, silently responding to Percy’s unspoken question.

Frank, apparently, wasn’t the only one who noticed this change, because Jason cleared his throat. “Uhh, Perce, you okay dude?” 

Percy glanced at Jason, and quickly answered “yeah,” but didn’t say much else or try to explain. Apparently whatever was going on was just too weird. He shook his head minutely at Annabeth, who shrugged in response. 

A few moments of confused silence followed, but were quickly ended; a distant scream echoed from what seemed to be outside. Frank glanced around and did a quick head count – yes, there were nine of them in the kitchen. Then a loud crash shook the windows in the corner of the kitchen. Frank was one of the first ones out the back door. 

He and Jason were in front of the pack, sprinting around the narrow gap between the houses and to the main street where they were just in time to find another earth-monster lumbering down the road. Behind that creature was a scene of destruction and terror. They were _everywhere_. Houses were being leveled. Another small explosion sounded a few blocks down and a few broken screams pierced the air.

Frank’s breath caught in his chest – he was terrified. He glanced at Jason, and, judging by the way the blood left his face, Jason felt the same. As the others caught up, Frank caught a few muttered curses and a breathless prayer in ancient Greek – Helena.

“We have to stop them!” Piper shouted, but she sounded hopeless, and Frank felt a wave of despair. If they went out there, even at their best they didn’t stand a chance. It would be a suicide mission. And yet, even as they watched, a kid no older than seven or eight stumbled out his front door and shrieked as an earth-monster smashed through the doorframe after him.

Frank took off toward the kid, not caring if the others followed. But he was yards away. “Run!” Frank ordered, but either the kid didn’t know English or he just couldn’t understand, because he just stared back at Frank, who watched helplessly as the monster used its long, rusty sword to run the kid clean through.

Frank stumbled to a halt, shocked, as the little body crumbled to the ground – Frank could already tell that there would be no helping him. A sob of grief ripped through him and Frank almost fell over. He glanced behind him, and his friends were nowhere to be seen – gone, trying to defeat hundreds of creatures, weapons of mass destruction with little more than their bare hands.

The earth-monster that had killed that little kid was now lumbering toward Frank; apparently his shaky sobs had piqued its interest. Its beady black eyes glared menacingly at Frank, its sword was still in hand. Frank sprang into action, unable to control the fiery rage that had evolved from his intense sorrow. 

It was kind of a blur, Frank realized, looking back. The monster had been bigger than the one in the house, or at least it had seemed that way. Frank’s one goal had been to get behind it and find its weak spot, but this proved harder than it seemed. Firstly, the damned thing wouldn’t let him get anywhere near the back – Annabeth’s strike had been a combination of luck and teamwork and Frank had neither of those things – and once Frank had managed to twist the sword through what should have been its knee, disabling it, he couldn’t find the spot. It was hard, what with the earth-monster trying its very best to turn back around, and even though Frank was light on his feet, a few times he found himself back on the defensive.

Frank was in one of these positions when he had a bit of a revelation: couldn’t he hit the weak spot from the front? The thing was made of dirt; he had cut clean through far more solid things. What if Frank were to just jab into its abdomen and go deep enough to hit the small of its back from the front? It certainly might save time.

Frank’s battle senses were in overdrive again. Everything had a weird, blurry quality to it, yet instead of hindering him it actually helped. He could slow things down in his head and make fast decisions. Frank thrust his hand forward, feeling the warm, damp earth engulf his fist, and withdrew. Not deep enough, and all he had really managed to do was piss it off. 

Frank hopped back, narrowly avoiding a swing from its huge, earthen fist, and decided to try again. He feinted, waited for the monster to take a swing, then leapt forward while it tried to bring its arms back in to grab him. In went his sword again, but this time the earth rolled over his hand all the way to his forearm. Frank noted the weird heat again, this time more intense. Then he felt earth in his hair.

He quickly redrew and stumbled back, gasping with fear – surely there was another monster looming over him, moving in for the kill – god, how could Frank have been so stupid? The _number one rule_ of battle was _always check your surroundings._

“Oh, fuck, dad, please –” Frank was turning around, ready to launch his futile attack – but there was nothing there, at least in the immediate vicinity. 

“What?”

Frank whipped around; there was no time to wonder what had just happened, he had a murderous minion of the underworld to contend with yet – but there was nothing there but a pile of dirt.

Frank stopped, his legs burning with lactic acid. After a moment he realized the dirt he had felt on his head must have been from his original enemy, and that last thrust must have disintegrated it. A near-crazed laugh escaped Frank. He was just so relieved – he had been prepared to die, to literally die. What a fucking joke.

Another scream echoed nearby and Frank rushed off in its direction. A window blew out of one house across from Frank and he caught a glimpse of earth through the jagged glass. 

“Better than just standing here,” Frank muttered, shrugging, trying to prepare himself for combat again.

Two houses down, a little blue house collapsed, blazing. Frank didn’t have time to guess the origins of the fire, but he knew it was only a matter of time until the whole neighborhood went up. A little kid shrieked from inside the house Frank was targeting. 

Frank flew up the steps, not stopping to try the knob – he just crashed through the door, leading with his shoulder. It hurt like hell, but Frank ignored it as he squared himself, ready to attack. And sure enough, a guy was ushering three kids into another room while a terrified-looking woman approached the monster with a long kitchen knife, screaming at it. 

“Stop! Stop!” Frank yelled at the lady. She was going to get herself slaughtered. To Frank’s right a door slammed, the man and his kids disappearing behind it. The woman dropped her knife in surprise – a mistake that kickstarted Frank’s instincts. Frank took a running jump at the earth-monster, sword aimed right at the midsection where he had killed the last one. 

Any other time, it wouldn’t have worked. Definitely not. But this time, Frank owed his success to the element of surprise. Frank hit the floor and felt little clumps of earth hit his back. He rolled away to avoid the inevitable avalanche of earth, and luckily the Greek woman took her cue from him.

Frank jumped up, brushing extra dirt off his shirt, ready to usher the family out and take on the next monster. The woman stared at him, and to be honest, Frank couldn’t blame her. Crazy, imaginary-looking monsters had just invaded her household. It was something out of a nightmare, and yet here came this dirty, tired looking Chinese kid with a huge sword who disintegrated the creature without so much as a surprised look. 

“Go!” Frank yelled at her, and pointed. The woman blinked and stayed put.

She opened her mouth, and in very bad English, whispered, “demigod?”

Frank was taken aback. “Uhh, yeah. Don’t – don’t tell anyone, ‘kay? No telling.” He spoke slowly and put his finger to his lips, shaking his head back and forth. Apparently she got the message.

She nodded vigorously and followed her family through the kitchen door. Frank hoped to the gods that they could get out of the city in time.

Frank exited the way he came in. As he stepped out onto the porch, he surveyed the city. It was getting later, and the power seemed to have gone out, because the night was darker than it should have been in a city this size. But the thing that really got Frank was the sheer destruction before him. Half the neighborhood was ablaze, and the earth-monsters seemed undeterred, picking off survivors from flaming houses, stomping on the remains of other houses that had been caught in the worst of the fire. And that was just in the immediate area. From what he could see of the main city center, things weren’t much better there.

Frank decided there wasn’t anything he could do except try and kill the monsters that still remained, even though they seemed to be getting stronger as the night went on and his chances were getting slimmer as he tired. 

With a weary half-battle cry, Frank rushed toward the nearest monster and began his work. Each stroke of his sword blended with another, and the adrenaline just kept coming, keeping him alive, doing its job. Frank told himself he had only killed three, find another, keep going, your arms aren’t that tired.

All the while, Frank was afraid he had lost his friends for good. He had not a doubt in his mind that he wouldn’t survive this battle, though he hoped beyond hope that he was buying his friends a little time to get away. But he wouldn’t mind seeing a few of them before he died, just to know that all his efforts were worth something. 

Six, seven, eight. Frank kept a tally in the back of his mind. 

_It has to be nine at night,_ Frank decided, and he was tired. So, so tired. He had been tired already when he began, it was a miracle he had made it this far. And here came another one, number ten now, and gods, it was huge.

Frank steadied himself. A little voice in the back of his head told him that this monster would be his last, one way or another. Frank ignored it, and strengthened his resolve.

The thing lumbered up to him, having seen him destroy another one just moments before. Apparently the creatures had some twisted sense of brotherhood, because it looked angry. Or as angry as a big, vaguely humanoid pile of dirt could look. 

Frank faced it, squaring his feet. They ached. He was pretty sure he had pulled something in his left arch, because each step sent shooting pains through his foot and into his calf. Frank ignored that too.

“Alright, pal,” Frank said, looking right into its mean little eyes. “You’re gonna die. I’ve had it up to here with you assholes.” And he struck.

The monster wasn’t bothered by Frank’s powerful blow – in fact it shook it off like one might a bothersome fly. Frank faltered. It briefly struck him how much the next few minutes were going to suck.

The monster seemed to sense this, and used Frank’s temporary weakness to throw him off. One powerful strike to the ground near Frank and he was down. Frank watched helplessly as his sword skittered across the pavement away from him. Frank scrambled toward it on his hands and feet, watching the monster, which appeared to be savoring its moment of victory. 

“Fuck,” Frank muttered, because what else was there to say? His sword was twenty feet away, and the earth-monster was raising its gigantic foot. 

Any other time, a big huge dirt creature stomping on a guy’s legs might look ridiculous – even comical. But it really wasn’t funny. Frank hadn’t even registered what had happened until he felt the pain. And when he felt it, he _really_ felt it. 

Frank muffled a scream in his throat. The pain was red and black and yellow across his eyes, tiny explosions of some unknown color in the peripherals. He was flat on the pavement, tears weren’t coming because it hurt too much, and his chest was heaving, Frank had never felt pain like this. 

He turned on his side and threw up, or tried to, and ended up dry heaving, which didn’t help the pain in his legs. He felt another scream rising up in his chest, but he pushed it down. He was trapped, trapped like an animal, and he was going to die screaming and crying. He was going to die.

But it had been, like, a full two minutes since the thing had disabled Frank. Why wasn’t Frank dead yet? He rolled back over and glanced at it, and it glared down at him, still as stone. Yet something malevolent twinkled in its eyes, and Frank understood. The creature was _playing with him._

So Frank decided to push his immense pain aside and think. If he made a break for his sword, he would be dragging himself across the ground and the thing would just end his life right then and there. If he just sat there, eventually it would get bored and kill him.

So Frank decided to speed things along for the monster. He forced himself to gasp, take huge, heaving breaths. He kicked his legs, which almost made him black out. Frank flailed his arms and made sure to put on one hell of a show of it. He had never been much of an actor, but he had seen people die like this before. Heart attack. He put his hands to his chest and clawed, still convulsing. Then he took one big breath and slowly faded out of motion, keeping one eye cracked.

The thing was watching him, and it looked confused. At least Frank hoped that was confusion he saw, not annoyance or anger. Frank stilled, making sure to hold his breath. And he prayed silently to his dad, to Jupiter, to Pluto, anyone who would or could listen. 

Then the monster did something downright miraculous: it turned away. Frank’s trick had worked. Slowly, so as to not alarm the retreating beast, Frank propped himself up on his elbows and started dragging himself along the gravelly pavement. He went slowly, because the monster was also going slowly, and it hurt. Frank bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep small noises of anguish from escaping him until he felt a gush of blood. Then he bit the other cheek. 

Before long, the monster was a good fifty yards away and Frank had a hold on his sword. Now would be the tricky part; getting it in front of him without the blade scraping the ground and alerting the creature. 

And that was where things went horribly, terribly wrong. 

Frank managed to get his sword up, yes, and it looked like things would work out for now. But Frank couldn’t help but wish he had just let the earth-monster finish him off. What was he supposed to do now? Even if he could have walked, there was no way he could find his friends in this mess. He’d just have to crawl away and either wait for a monster to find him or just starve to death. 

Then he heard a voice. “Frank? Oh, gods, Frank!” 

Frank didn’t blame Jason for sounding so concerned or for yelling so loud. He probably did look pretty bad, lying on the pavement with crushed legs and blood all over his face. But the moment he heard Jason’s voice, he knew it was over. The monster, now roughly a football field away, swiveled. 

The first thought Frank had was, ‘ _Wow, these things have great hearing._ ’

The second thing Frank thought was ‘ _Shit, they can run really fast, too._ ’

Jason was yelling something somewhere in the background, but the monster was pretty much on top of Frank. The gig was up, Frank was obviously alive. Frank brandished his sword, knowing things probably weren’t going to end well for him.

The monster raised its sword. Frank winced. From the thing’s vantage point, so far above Frank, he figured even if he could get his sword up in time to block the monster’s swing, it would knock his blade from his hands so powerfully that Frank would be sliced in half by his own sword. There was no way out, no way around it.

The earth-monster brought its rusty blade straight downwards, tip aimed at Frank’s midsection. 

Jason screamed his name, a ragged, desperate, throat-tearing yell.

Frank didn’t feel the blade go in. He didn’t really want to, and, mercifully, he blacked out as the impossible pain began to mount against his mental wall. 

\--- 

When Frank opened his eyes, everything was black.

At first he wondered if it was night, then he remembered. He wondered why he wasn’t dead, and also why he could move his legs. 

He sat up, and it didn’t hurt. 

“Hello?” Frank’s voiced bounced off what he suspected were walls, and something odd happened. Where his voice hit, little beams of light shone through. _Bang_. To his right a hole appeared in the incomprehensible darkness. _Bang._ Another beam directly across from that, to his left. _Bangbangbang._ More light from all angles, until Frank could see a little bit of what lay outside. A white street, lined with houses, and, strangely enough, statues, fountains, and trees. 

So, Frank figured, he was going to have to yell his way out of the black prison. 

Frank shouted “hello?” just a little louder, and more chunks of light appeared where his voice echoed off the walls. He shouted more, and shouted and shouted, watching the darkness disappear and light take its place.

As his view of his surroundings grew, so did his idea of where he was. But no, this couldn’t be. That was crazy. 

Then he heard footsteps. A woman, a really beautiful woman was clacking down the cobblestone walkway, in a pure white dress of blowy material that matched the stones exactly. Even her skin was white, her lips just the palest shade of pink. The only thing that really stood out were her eyes. Blue. Deep, dark, piercing blue that searched Frank as she got closer, though not in an unfriendly way. 

“Hello, Frank Zhang.” The woman’s voice was deep, but not mannish, just rich.

“Oh, hell,” Frank replied. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

The woman just smiled at him sadly. 

Frank felt a small rush of anger. Of all the shitty, cliché things to happen to him. He was going to get a firm talking-to _for dying_. Couldn’t they just leave him alone?

“Please, Frank, follow me. Your father is waiting, and it is best not to keep him.” She turned on her heel gracefully and took off back up the path.

Frank rolled his eyes, but followed. He couldn’t really see their destination, but as he got closer it seemed to materialize and Frank caught better sight of it. It was a palace, not Roman in architecture, but not quite Greek either. 

His father. Mars. Of course he wanted to talk. Frank was his special little warrior, wasn’t he, and he had let him down. Christ, Frank just wanted to die, was that too much to ask for?

They entered the open-air palace, where his dad sat at the base of his throne in human form, playing with some futuristic-looking hand grenade thing. “Hey, Frank,” Mars greeted him.

Mars was dressed like your typical tough guy, though he looked a little different from what Frank remembered. Same wrap-around ray-bans, though. Weren’t those just a tad out of style?

“Hi, uhh, Mars – dad. Uhh,” Frank spluttered, feeling intimidation creep in despite his annoyance. 

Mars ignored it. “Bet you’re wondering why you’re here, huh?”

Frank crossed his arms. Mars was still focused on his grenade, and Frank couldn’t help feeling like he was being out favored by a weapon. “Not really, I’ve seen enough movies to know how this goes.”

Mars didn’t look up, but he stood and leaned against the throne. “Well, I’d love to give you the whole welcome-to-death thing, but the catch is, you’re not actually dead.”

“What?”

“Well, not quite. Almost dead, yeah. I mean, you’re pretty much dead already, but your brain is still alive in there.”

Another, more powerful surge of annoyance took Frank. “Okay, then. What do I do? Die or live?”

Mars scratched the back of his neck. “I’d love to let you have a hero’s death. Leave you with the honor of it. Believe me, I would. But I can’t.” Here he looked up at Frank, stared into his eyes right through his ray-bans. “Your death isn’t supposed to be honorable. Your death is gonna suck, dude. Which means you can’t die now. Which means you have to live.”

Frank tried not to let the idea of a shitty death bother him, because there was a more pressing issue at hand. “Well, then, how do I live?”

“Ah. That.” Mars looked down again. “I had to pull a few strings. When you wake up, you’re gonna feel it. All of this.”

“All of what?”

Mars looked at Frank again and gestured at him. Frank looked down for the first time. “Shit.” 

He supposed that right now this was how he looked to Jason. His legs were aligned, but they were obviously shattered beyond full repair. His shirt was soaked in blood and some really gross stuff spilled out of the gaping wound visible through the torn fabric.

“It’s gonna take a lot to patch you up, kid,” Mars explained, sighing. “It’s not gonna come without a price. Yeah, when you wake up a little ambrosia and a week’s rest should heal you right up, but you’re tricky. I think you remember a certain weak point that we discussed last time we met?”

Frank groaned. He should have known his stick was going to come into play. 

“So, we burn a little more of your lifeline, you get just a teensy bit weaker, and you live to when you’re supposed to, and then you –” Mars cut himself off. 

“And what? And then I what? Dad, you can’t just do that! How am I supposed to die?” Frank actually stepped forward, feeling dread settle in his stomach.

“Nahh, it’s more than my head’s worth to reveal to a mortal his fate. But yeah. Frank.” Mars cast the grenade aside and stared once more at Frank. “What I’m about to tell you is very important, so you have to listen. 

“You’re gonna wake up in some pretty intense pain, but I want you to hold onto this, got it? Don’t forget it. _Hold onto it._ Your friends need to know that the boundary between Roman and Greek is falling apart. You’ve been calling me Mars, but I’m not Mars. I’m not Aries, either. I – I’m not sure who I am right now. And maybe that’s good in the long run, but it sure as hell ain’t a walk in the park right now. You need to remember to _stay on this side._ This middle ground here. Got it? Middle ground. You’re gonna play an important part soon, in this war.”

“War?” Frank asked hesitantly.

“Yeah. War. It sucks.”

“Sucks?” Frank asked, confused. “I thought you loved war.”

Mars/Aries sighed again. “I do. I love the idea of honor, the chance that mere men get to prove themselves, to shed an enemy’s blood and risk his life to defend something he believes in. But people get corrupted. They don’t play fair. There’ll be no honor in this war. Gaea’s gonna do whatever she can to stop you guys, which means you’re gonna have to do the same. Use your brain.”

Frank thought about this for a moment. “So… what kind of middle ground?”

“Huh? Oh, that. I can’t tell you, kid. But when the time comes to choose, you’ll know. Us gods, we can’t escape it, but you half-bloods _can._ Unfortunately, a lot of you won’t try to. I’m just giving you a heads up – you’re gonna stay in that gray area, no matter how many friends you lose along the way.” Mars/Aries looked down.

“You should go now. Just follow the path to the end. You should wake up before you get there.” Frank nodded and turned to go. 

“Oh, and Frank?” Frank turned around to find his dad standing straighter than before, looking a bit less troubled. “We’re doing what we can to help you out. Sending warnings, you know. Gut feelings – those might be a little more than instinct.” He lifted his ray-bans and winked.

Frank stared at his dad for a second, mouth open. Did he really mean what Frank thought he meant? Then Mars/Aries pointed at the door and Frank had to take his cue. 

The pathway was empty just like before. Frank got the feeling this weird place usually got a lot more visitors. Maybe that weird, empty feeling he got looking around wasn’t just the hole in his abdomen. 

Frank was frowning, trying to figure it out, still walking, wondering what was supposed to happen next – then he woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ten chapters and a little over 1000 reads? Thank you, guys! I'll try to update a little faster next time (please don't hold me to that).

**Author's Note:**

> Oh and also these chapters are all like, really short because half the time I'm writing just to get to the next big plot event. Ugh. Also I can't write from one perspective for too long - I get all frustrated with the character.


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